ECOFIN - Economic and Financial Affairs Council

03/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/17/2026 04:23

European electoral act: Council agrees to allow proxy voting for MEPs during pregnancy and after giving birth 11:10 Council agrees to facilitate proxy voting at the European[...]

Today, the Council agreed to amend the European electoral law to allow proxy voting at the European Parliament (EP) during late pregnancy and early motherhood.

A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who is pregnant or has recently given birth may delegate her vote to another member for up to three months before the estimated date of birth and up to six months after childbirth.

Today's agreement is about equality, inclusiveness, and democratic representation. By enabling proxy voting for MEPs who are pregnant or have recently given birth, we are actively supporting women's participation in European politics, making it easier for them to balance their parliamentary duties with motherhood. This measure will increase trust in our democratic processes and strengthen democratic participation. We look forward to the European Parliament's consent.

Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus

With a view to the practical implementation of the proxy voting, the Council added to the Parliament's initial proposal that the statute for MEPs should lay down the general conditions governing such delegation of vote, ensuring compliance with the principles of transparency, accountability, traceability, legal certainty and integrity of the vote. Furthermore, the EP rules of procedure should lay down the modalities for this delegation of vote.

Next steps

Following today's agreement in principle, the Council will forward the text to the EP for its consent. The proposal will then return to the Council for formal adoption. Finally, the act must be ratified by the member states in accordance with their respective national constitutional procedures before it can enter into force.

Background

The existing rules provide that the mandate of an MEP is personal, which requires that their vote be cast individually and in person. On 13 November 2025, the EP adopted a resolution for a targeted revision of the European electoral act.

This file follows a 'special legislative procedure' whereby the European Parliament first adopts a proposal, which is then transmitted to the Council. The Council must then establish its position on the proposal and shall request the consent from the Parliament.

ECOFIN - Economic and Financial Affairs Council published this content on March 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 17, 2026 at 10:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]