The legislative change was approved with 605 votes in favor, 30 against and five abstentions. After approval, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, clenched her fist and smiled.
O This Thursday approved a legislative change to allow pregnant MEPs to delegate the right to vote in plenary to another colleague while they are absent, up to three months before giving birth and six months after birth.
The legislative change was approved with 605 votes in favor, 30 against and five abstentions.
After approval, the president of the EP, Roberta Metsola, clenched her fist and smiled.
When opening the discussion, Roberta Metsola said it was a “historic proposal” and said he hopes that the 27 countries of the European Union — which have yet to give the green light to the legislative change — “are in agreement” with an issue that should have been changed “a long time ago”, adapting the European Parliament “to the 21st century”.
“No woman should have to choose between serving the six voters or having children,” he commented.
The vote was preceded by statements by political groups represented in the hemicycle and most of those who spoke said they supported this legislative change, but there were MEPs, namely those from the Left, who criticized the exclusion of parents from this proposal.
The Spanish socialist Juan Fernando López Aguilar, who was the rapporteur, considered that the proposal approved “reinforces democratic representation and ensures that voters’ voices continue to be heard.”
The CDS-PP MEP, Ana Pedro, was involved in the negotiations that led to the implementation of this proposal and told Lusa that it came “following the warnings launched by several deputies”.
This Thursday, the EP removed “finally a barrier that limited the full exercise of office by pregnant or postpartum deputies”, he commented.
“Women’s participation in politics cannot be conditioned by unavoidable physical circumstances, nor can it depend on sacrifices incompatible with motherhood”, he added, applauding “democratic maturity and a concrete advance towards fairer and more inclusive representation”.
