Hungary: Civil society calls for over-the-counter access to emergency contraception
May 2026. The Hungarian women’s rights organisation PATENT Association is running a campaign calling for the reclassification of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) to make them available without prescription in Hungary.
The campaign, Magyarországon is legyen recept nélkül kapható az esemény utáni tabletta! (or “Make emergency contraception available over the counter in Hungary”), highlights the unnecessary barriers to timely access to ECPs created by the current prescription-only system. The initiative includes a petition that has already been signed by more than 68,000 people.
Access and sign the petition here.
Since 2016, Hungary has remained the only European Union Member State where both levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate emergency contraceptive pills still require a prescription. In Poland, although these medicines are also classified as prescription-only, a pilot programme introduced in 2024 allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense ulipristal acetate emergency contraception, thereby facilitating access to some extent.
@ emergency contraception Hungary
@ morning after pill Hungary
