report parliamentary committee draft, 15 September 2026
On amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on proxy voting during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth
Document AFCO-PR-791904 · (2026/2105(REG))
Committee on Constitutional Affairs · Rapporteur: Juan Fernando López Aguilar
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Proposal for a european parliament decision 60 paragraphs
on amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on proxy voting during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth (2026/2105(REG))
The European Parliament,
–having regard to the letter from its President of 8 July 2026,
–having regard to Rules 242 and 243 of its Rules of Procedure,
–having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A100000/2026),
1.Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;
2.Decides that the amendments shall enter into force on the date on which both Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2026/1296 of 26 May 2026 amending the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage and the corresponding amendments to the Statute for Members of the European Parliament have entered into force; decides that the amendments empowering the Bureau to adopt implementing measures shall however apply from the date that this decision is adopted;
3.Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.
Amendment 1
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – title (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 193a | |
| Voting by proxy |
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Or. en
Amendment 2
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 1 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 1. By way of derogation from Rule 193, a Member who is pregnant or has given birth may have her vote cast in plenary by another Member acting as proxy, for a maximum period of three months before the estimated date of birth and for a maximum period of six months after the birth. |
Or. en
Amendment 3
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 2 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2. Voting by proxy shall be subject to the general conditions laid down in the Statute for Members of the European Parliament and to this Rule. The delegation shall authorise the proxy solely to cast the delegating Member’s vote and to represent her for the purpose of the quorum. It shall confer no other right to act on her behalf. |
Or. en
Amendment 4
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 3 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 3. The delegating Member shall designate another Member as proxy with that Member’s consent. The delegation shall take effect upon registration by Parliament or on a later date specified by the delegating Member. It shall end on the date specified by the delegating Member or, at the latest, six months after the birth. It shall also end at the end of the parliamentary term, if either Member ceases to be a Member, or when the delegating Member is physically present in the Chamber during a plenary sitting. | |
| The delegating Member may revoke the delegation or designate a new proxy, and the proxy may relinquish the delegation, with effect only from the beginning of a voting session and provided that the relevant revocation, designation or relinquishment has been registered beforehand. | |
| A new delegation shall, upon taking effect, replace any previous delegation. | |
| A delegation which has ended shall not revive; any subsequent exercise of voting by proxy shall require a new delegation. |
Or. en
Amendment 5
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 4 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 4. A delegating Member may have only one proxy at a time, and a Member may act as proxy for only one Member at a time. |
Or. en
Amendment 6
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 5 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 5. While a delegation is in force, only the proxy may cast the delegating Member’s vote. The proxy may cast the delegating Member’s vote differently from his or her own vote and may cast either vote without casting the other. Voting by proxy shall apply to all forms of voting in plenary, including secret ballots. |
Or. en
Justification
Legal certainty requires that, while a delegation is in force, the proxy is the only Member entitled to cast the vote of the delegating Member. The free mandate of both the delegating Member and the proxy and the principle of personal accountability of the delegating Member vis-à-vis her constituents must be fully guaranteed. Therefore, it is essential to specify that the proxy may be required to vote differently from his or her own vote when he or she votes on behalf of the delegating Member. Furthermore, it is important to clarify that votes by proxy also apply to secret ballots. The secrecy of the votes of Members who have delegated their votes should be respected and ensured by the proxy.
Amendment 7
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 6 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 6. A vote validly cast by proxy shall be attributed to the delegating Member and shall have the same effect as a vote cast personally by that Member. Its validity and the voting result shall not be affected by any disagreement between the delegating Member and the proxy. | |
| A correction to a vote cast by proxy may be made only by the delegating Member, under the same conditions as for a vote cast personally, and shall not affect the validity of the vote or the voting result. |
Or. en
Amendment 8
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 7 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 7. The delegating Member may submit a written explanation of a vote cast on her behalf under the same conditions as if she had cast it personally, but may not give an oral explanation. The proxy may not give or submit an explanation of vote on behalf of the delegating Member. | |
| For roll-call votes, the identity of the proxy shall be recorded in the minutes of the sitting and the published results shall indicate that the vote was cast by proxy. |
Or. en
Amendment 9
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 8 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 8. Except for votes cast in accordance with this Rule and for quorum representation, no support, objection, request, signature, procedural motion or other parliamentary act of the proxy shall be attributed to the delegating Member. |
Or. en
Amendment 10
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a – paragraph 9 (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 9. The Bureau shall lay down only the technical and administrative arrangements necessary for the implementation of this Rule, including arrangements for registration, revocation and relinquishment, supporting documents, secret ballots, corrections to votes and applicable technical deadlines. | |
| Those arrangements shall neither restrict nor extend the rights laid down in this Rule, nor alter the conditions laid down therein. Those arrangements shall ensure the secrecy of secret ballots and the transparency, accountability, traceability, legal certainty and integrity of voting by proxy. |
Or. en
Explanatory statement 3 paragraphs
On 13 November 2025, Parliament adopted a proposal for a reform of the European Electoral Act to permit Members of the European Parliament who are pregnant or who have recently given birth to cast their votes in plenary sessions by proxy voting. As provided for in the special legislative procedure laid down in Article 223(1) TFEU, Parliament transmitted this proposal to the Council. The Council adopted its position on 17 March 2026 and transmitted it to Parliament for its consent. Parliament gave its consent to the draft Council decision on 29 April 2026. On 26 May 2026, the Council adopted Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2026/1296 amending the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, annexed to Council Decision 76/787/ECSC, EEC, Euratom of 20 September 1976. That Council Decision will enter into force following its approval by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.
Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2026/1296 added two elements to Parliament’s initial proposal. Firstly, general conditions for the delegation of a vote are to be laid down in the Statute for Members of the European Parliament ensuring compliance with the principles of transparency, accountability, traceability, legal certainty and integrity of the vote. Secondly, detailed arrangements for the delegation of a vote are to be laid down in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. By letter of 8 July 2026, the President of the European Parliament asked the Committee on Constitutional Affairs to start working on amendments to the Rules of Procedure that may be necessary to lay down the detailed arrangements for the implementation of proxy voting during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth.
The amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure contained in this report lay down the detailed arrangements for the delegation of a vote, as provided for in Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2026/1296. Those amendments will only enter into force after both Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2026/1296 amending the European Electoral Act and the corresponding amendments to the Statute for Members of the European Parliament will enter into force. In order to allow for an immediate application of the possibility for proxy voting after their entry into force, the amendments empowering the Bureau to adopt implementing measures should however already apply from the date when the decision of the European Parliament amending the Rules of Procedure is adopted.