Sweden's climate minister brings baby to EU talks on parental leave

A three-month-old baby sat in on an EU climate ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday, accompanying Sweden’s climate and environment minister, Romina Pourmokhtari. To the institution’s knowledge, no baby had ever attended a meeting of EU ministers before.

Pourmokhtari brought her son, Adam, to the long day of talks as she returned to office after parental leave. She resumed responsibility for climate and environment issues on June 15, after being away since March 2 to care for her child. Her husband traveled with her to Luxembourg and remained on leave until Sweden’s election in September, helping care for the baby while she worked.

She said the scene showed women do not have to choose between work and family responsibilities, while also noting that such an arrangement depends on a partner willing to take on care at home. She said the policy environment, together with support from her team, made it far less controversial for her husband to look after Adam while she was back at work.

Sweden’s parental benefit system gives parents 480 days per child, about 16 months, with 90 days reserved for each parent and barred from transfer. The system includes income-based days and minimum-level days, and since July 1, 2024, it has allowed 60 double days when both parents can be on leave at the same time until a child turns 15 months old. The non-transferable days, often called dad months, were created to encourage fathers to spend more time with their children.

Pourmokhtari said governments should think beyond the length of leave and look at how the leave is shared, along with access to affordable childcare.

In 2026, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union moved to allow proxy voting for members of the European Parliament during pregnancy and after childbirth, with the Council’s change permitting delegation of a vote up to three months before the estimated due date and up to six months after childbirth. Pourmokhtari was the youngest government minister in Sweden’s history when she took office in 2022.