MEPs discuss proxy voting for pregnant women and new mothers

Allowing MEPs who are pregnant women and new mothers to vote via proxy was discussed at the European Parliament's constitutional affairs committee (AFCO) on Thursday (9 October).

The parliament wants to change the rules when it comes to voting in the plenary. However, the mandate for MEPs is personal and cannot be transferred — thus, until now, it is not possible for pregnant women or who recently gave birth and therefore can’t attend the plenary sessions to cast their vote.

And at the moment there is no possibility of maternity leave for MEPs.

In June parliament president Roberta Metsola called for a modernisation of the rules to support MEPs who are becoming parents.

All parties in the AFCO committee agreed on the draft and supported allowing women to vote by proxy.

However, MEPs from the Greens, the Left and the liberal Renew Europe pointed out that fathers were missing in the draft and demanded including them in the amendment as well.

For the centre-right European People's Party, Romanian MEP Loránt Vincze said his party would not support including fathers and paternity leave in the draft as giving birth is something only a woman can do. The far-right parties — Patriots for Europe and European Conservatives and Reformists — presented similar positions.

Juan Fernando López Aguilar, a Spanish Socialists & Democrats MEP responsible for the dossier, pointed out that — while he supported the idea of including fathers — that the member states in the council would not agree to that.

The draft can now be amended until middle of October and will most likely be voted on during the next AFCO committee meeting on 4 November. After that the council has to agree on it unanimously before the matter will be taken to the national parliaments.

Currently, another draft of changing the electoral law of the EU lies with the council and has been discussed since 2022.

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