On Tuesday, 17 March, the Council of the EU approved an amendment to European electoral law so as to allow proxy voting in the European Parliament during late pregnancy and the first few months of motherhood (see EUROPE 13828/16). An MEP who is pregnant or has recently given birth will be able to delegate her vote to another MEP up to three months before her expected due date and up to six months after giving birth.
The EU Council also supplemented the European Parliament’s initial proposal by specifying 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 [European Parliament’s] rules of procedure should lay down the modalities for this delegation of vote.”
The Council of the EU is now going to forward the text to the European Parliament for approval. The proposal will then be sent back to the EU Council for formal adoption. Finally, the act will need to be ratified by Member States in accordance with their respective national constitutional procedures before it comes into force.
The European Parliament had, on 13 November, initiated the procedure aiming to amend EU electoral law on proxy voting in the event of [an MEP giving] birth (see EUROPE 13751/8). This proxy voting system will constitute an exception to the rule that requires MEPs to vote individually and in person. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)