European Parliament Approves Proxy Voting for New Mothers

New mothers in the European Parliament won't have to choose between representing their constituents and caring for their newborns anymore.

The European Parliament approved new rules on Wednesday allowing female lawmakers to delegate their votes to trusted colleagues for up to three months before their due date and six months after giving birth. The measure passed overwhelmingly with 616 votes in favor, 24 against, and just eight abstentions.

French Socialist MEP Chloé Ridel knows the struggle firsthand. "I spent three months on maternity leave not being able to vote," she told Euronews about her experience with her three-month-old baby. "When you have a small baby, you cannot come to Strasbourg without him. If you cannot vote, you cannot represent the people who elected you."

Ridel still skips one day of each plenary session to care for her child, who stays in Brussels while she travels to Strasbourg for votes. "I have to miss the votes on Monday evening," she explained. "Voting implies not being with my baby for three days and three nights, which is already a lot for me."

The change updates a longstanding rule requiring lawmakers to vote in person during plenary sessions. Until now, MEPs taking maternity leave simply couldn't exercise their voting rights during that period, even though they already had the right to six months of leave.

However, the new rules only apply to women, despite the Parliament's usual championing of equal parenting responsibilities. Left-wing parties pushed to include fathers in the measure but couldn't secure enough support from other political groups. In November 2025, MEPs rejected an amendment that would have extended proxy voting to male lawmakers.

The Bright Side

While the measure doesn't go as far as some hoped, it represents real progress for the hundreds of thousands of constituents whose representatives might become mothers. Italian Green MEP Cristina Guarda, who made headlines for bringing her baby into the plenary chamber and even breastfeeding during debates, acknowledged the limitations but celebrated the win for working mothers in politics.

The rule still needs ratification by EU national parliaments before entering into force. Once approved, it will ensure that pregnancy and early motherhood no longer silence the voices of elected women or the voters who chose them.

For lawmakers like Ridel, the change means representing their constituents without sacrificing precious time with their newborns.