Proxy voting for pregnant MEPs: the EU Parliament wants to be more supportive of women

Brussels –Proxy voting in cases of maternity leave. The European Parliament is seeking to rewrite the rules, which are first and foremost internal, with the hope that they may then serve as an example in other areas, given that this is a widespread cultural problem. As things stand, women in politics who become pregnant have to give up work, plenary sittings, and participation, with the resulting consequences: losing their right and duty to vote and speak, a reduced quorum, and political groups having fewer votes available. This is because no rule allows mothers-to-be to continue working. To reconcile private life and work, motherhood and profession, the aim now is to enable members to delegate someone to vote on their behalf, through a proxy vote that has never been considered until now.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament proposes to recognise, from three months before the expected date of birth and up to six months after birth, the possibility and the right to vote even when private life and parental care do not make it possible. The initiative, which European Parliament President Roberta Metsola appreciates, aims to amend the European Act for the Election of MEPs, an international treaty that will take longer, as it will require ratification from all national parliaments after possible approvals in the Parliament and Council. The goal remains to implement proxy voting for women in time for the next European elections in 2029. Meanwhile, the legislative proposal passes the Constitutional Affairs Committee almost unanimously (28 in favour, one against, and no abstentions). 

(video: European Parliament, multimedia center)

In the end, Parliament is taking action on an issue that was already brought to light in 2010, when the then MEP from Forza Italia, Licia Ronzulli, began appearing in the Chamber with her daughter so she could continue carrying out her mandate while at the same time fulfilling her role as a new mother. Her appearances in the European Parliament with a baby carrier and her baby became almost a regular occurrence.

“The introduction of proxy voting for MEPs on maternity leave reinforces democratic representation and ensures that the voice of the electorate continues to be heard in the months before and after childbirth,” stressed a satisfied Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D), rapporteur of the text. “No elected representative should ever have to choose between their vote and their child,” he adds, convinced that this initiative “supports our broader goal of promoting gender equality and work-private life balance by encouraging parents to participate fully in political life.”

Parliament’s plenary will vote on the legislative proposal already at the plenary session scheduled in Brussels on November 12 and 13. Given the outcome at the Committee level, the text will likely be approved and then presented to the Council.