The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has unanimously backed changes that would allow pregnant MEPs and those who have recently given birth to delegate their plenary votes to another member. The proposal is intended to improve political participation and gender equality in the institution. Under the proposed rules, proxy voting would be voluntary, revocable and limited to plenary votes. MEPs could delegate their votes for up to three months before the expected date of birth and six months afterward. No member would be permitted to hold more than one delegated vote at a time. The names of both the delegating and proxy MEPs would be included in sitting minutes and published voting results. Proxy votes would count toward quorums, thresholds and required majorities, while corrections would be handled under existing procedures. The committee approved the changes with 24 votes in favor. The proposal will next go to a plenary vote, followed by opinions from the European Commission and consent from the Council of the European Union. The amendments would take effect after EU member states ratify changes to the European Electoral Act. Post navigation Parliament Set for Russia Vote