Règles Élémentaires
RÉ
Règles Élémentaires est la première association française de lutte contre la précarité menstruelle et le tabou des règles.
ID: 703744792326-45
Lobbying Activity
Response to EU Anti-Poverty Strategy
20 Oct 2025
Règles Élémentaires (RE), Frances leading non-profit organisation dedicated to ending menstrual poverty and stigma, welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. Since 2015, the organisation has combined grassroots action with national and European advocacy to make menstrual equity a matter of dignity, health, and equality. As a co-founding member of the Menstrual Matters EU networka coalition of over 30 civil society organisations working across Europe on menstrual health and rightsRE brings forward the shared call to integrate menstrual poverty into the EUs future social and anti-poverty agenda. Menstrual povertythe lack of access to safe, affordable menstrual products, adequate facilities, and reliable menstrual health informationremains a hidden but structural driver of inequality. It is both a consequence and amplifier of poverty, affecting education, employment, health, and participation in civic life. A 2025 REOpinionWay survey found that 42% of menstruating individuals across the EU experienced period poverty at least once in 2024, representing over 50 million people facing violations of dignity and health, often without institutional support. The impacts of menstrual poverty illustrate how gender inequality and economic hardship intersect: Health risks: Infections, untreated pain, and worsened chronic conditions due to lack of access to proper care or hygiene products. Educational exclusion: girls and young people missing school due to lack of products or facilities, undermining future opportunities. Workplace absenteeism: 53% of women in the EU have missed work, school, or sports frequently because of menstruation-related pain or lack of support, contributing to income instability. Economic strain: menstrual products remain taxed and unrecognised as essential goods, adding an unavoidable financial burden for low-income households. Stigma and mental health: 51% of Europeans still consider menstruation taboo, reinforcing shame, isolation, and social exclusionespecially among those already living in poverty. Integrating menstrual poverty into the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy will directly advance the goal of reducing by 15 million the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2030. Tackling this issue: Addresses a gendered driver of in-work poverty and exclusion; Improves labour market outcomes for women and others who menstruate; Reduces school absenteeism and educational inequality; Strengthens the Child Guarantee and European Pillar of Social Rights; Breaks intergenerational cycles of exclusion and deprivation. Key recommendations from Règles Élémentaires and the Menstrual Matters EU network: Recognition: include menstrual poverty as a measurable dimension of poverty and social exclusion. Data & monitoring: establish regular EU-wide data collection on menstrual poverty, disaggregated by gender, age, disability, and socio-economic status. Funding & support: ensure EU funding mechanisms (ESF+, Horizon Europe, CERV, etc.) explicitly support menstrual health research, access, and awareness. Integrate menstrual health into humanitarian, migration, and crisis-response mechanisms, where access is often disrupted. National and local innovation: encourage Member States to reduce VAT on menstrual products to zero, develop national menstrual equity strategies, and expand free product provision in public institutions. EU-wide minimum standards: promote universal access to menstrual products in schools, shelters, prisons, and healthcare facilities, establishing a common baseline of dignity and equality. Addressing menstrual poverty is not only a question of hygieneit is an investment in public health, gender equality, and social cohesion. The EU now has the opportunity to lead globally by embedding menstrual equity at the heart of its Anti-Poverty Strategy and ensuring that no one is left behind because of a natural biological function.
Read full responseMeeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Director Justice and Consumers)
24 Sept 2025 · Menstrual poverty
Response to Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030
28 Jul 2025
Règles Élémentaires, along with The Menstrual Matters EU network, composed of over 30 associations working across Europe in the field of menstrual health and rights, welcome the opportunity to contribute to the development of the 2026-2030 EU Gender Equality Strategy. We support the continuation and reinforcement of the European Commissions dual approach combining targeted actions and gender mainstreaming outlined in the 2020-2025 strategy and reaffirmed in the Roadmap and would like to highlight the importance of menstrual health as a priority. Please find our contribution and position, documenting menstrual poverty and menstrual health in the EU attached to this feedback, along with data.
Read full responseMeeting with Lesia Radelicki (Cabinet of Commissioner Helena Dalli)
26 Jun 2024 · Fight against period poverty in the E.U