France's Macron wants to make abortion a right at EU level

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he wants the European Union to guarantee the right to an abortion in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Macron was speaking at a ceremony held in Paris, where Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti used a centuries-old press to seal the right to abortion into the French constitution, following an overwhelming vote by lawmakers on Monday.

"Today is not the end of the story but the start of a fight," Macron told the ceremony, which coincided with International Women's Day.

"We're going to lead this fight in our continent, in our Europe, where reactionary forces are attacking women's rights before attacking the rights of minorities," he told the crowd attending the ceremony in Paris, in front of the Justice Ministry.

"This is why I want to enshrine that guaranteed freedom to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union."