Our european actions
Menstruation knows no borders.
Period poverty and unequal access to menstrual products, chronic underinvestment in menstrual health and education, a near-total absence of regulation on the composition of period products : across Europe, the circumstances may vary, but the patterns of inequality are remarkably consistent.
Working at EU level means exchanging knowledge, sharing what works, and collectively championing a common ambition: building a Europe where menstruation is neither a taboo nor a barrier to equality.
Because menstruation sits at the intersection of health, equality, social justice, environmental responsibility, and consumer rights, it is time it became a fully European cause.
Cooperating
The Menstrual Education Network is the first European project led by Règles Élémentaires, with the support of the Erasmus+ and the Fondation Hippocrène.
The network also brings together BruZelle and Tiiiit! Inc. around a shared objective: exchanging and promoting best practices in menstrual education across Europe.
The project is built on a common conviction: young people must be fully involved in shaping solutions for menstrual education. Transnational working groups therefore help develop tools and approaches grounded in lived experiences and everyday realities.
This collaborative initiative was awarded with the Inspiring Young Europeans Award for Gender Equality.
Advocating
Règles Élémentaires is building European-level advocacy to ensure that menstruation is recognised as a matter of public health, equality, and fundamental rights.
This work reached a major milestone with the first parliamentary hearing in the history of the European Union dedicated to period poverty and menstrual health.
It was the occasion to represent our EU advocacy priorities:
- developing a cross-sectoral approach to menstrual health
- producing reliable data at the European level
- funding research, menstrual education, and innovation
- supporting grassroots organisations
- strengthening regulations on menstrual products
In 2025, Règles Élémentaires also coordinated the study Tackling period poverty in the EU current challenges pathways and way forward (The Greens/EFA, Nicole Spohr & Maria Carmen Punzi), and took part in its launch event at the European Parliament.
In 2026, Règles Élémentaires published a groundbreaking report: Better Regulating Menstrual Products: Why Does It Matter?
The report brings together current scientific knowledge on substances found in menstrual products, including PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals, dioxins, or phthalates.
It highlights a major regulatory gap: despite being used repeatedly over decades, menstrual products still lack a specific European regulatory framework.
We are calling for:
- a dedicated European framework
- full transparency regarding product composition
- stronger health and environmental standards
- increased support for independent research
Mobilising
Menstrual Matters EU is a movement launched by several European organisations to raise awareness about an issue that remains largely absent from European policies: menstruation.
Through network-building, knowledge-sharing, and collective action, Menstrual Matters EU champions a shared conviction: access to menstrual health must be recognised as a fundamental right.
This growing momentum helps amplify a common voice at European level and strengthens coordinated action against menstrual inequality across the continent.
Producing data
Through The Weight of Periods campaign, Règles Élémentaires led the first paneuropean survey on menstrual stigma and period poverty.
This survey documents how menstruation continues to affect people’s lives, health, education, work, and social participation across several EU countries.
Producing robust, reliable data is essential. Menstruation remains conspicuously absent from public statistics, which severely limits the development of effective, targeted policies.
Making an issue visible is already a step towards change.