From 1 August 2018, Luxembourg increased the upper age limit for eligible women from 25 to 30, enabling them to reclaim 80% of contraceptive costs.

During parliamentary budget discussions on Tuesday, LSAP minister Etienne Schneider said that the state has reimbursed €1.7m in this way.

But, his long-term plan will be to abolish the age limit, and reimbursing other contraceptive methods, including the morning-after pill. Condoms are already freely available, the minister pointed out.

Other, more imminent changes include the development of mobile applications to allow for the prescription of electronic. The measure falls under the e-health strategy, for which the government has earmarked €2.2m.

An additional €4.7m has been set aside for prevention planning, to develop national plans with regard to mental health, HIV and hepatitis, among others. The total health department budget for 2019 is €206.9m, up €38m from 2018.