A group of MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Patriots for Europe (PfE), and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) groups has tabled amendments to a European Parliament report on the gender care gap, proposing to shift the focus from a rights-based, EU-driven care agenda to a model that prioritises the family as the primary care unit and national sovereignty over care policy. The amendments, published on 12 May 2026, target the draft report 'Advancing towards a care society: addressing the gender care gap' (A10-0083/2026) by rapporteur Eleonora Meleti (EPP, Greece).
The amendments introduce two new paragraphs (14a and 14b) that directly challenge the report's premise of a 'care society'. Amendment 1 reasserts the family as the 'primary and most immediate environment' for care, anchoring this in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and emphasising parental responsibility. This reframes care as a private, familial duty rather than a public good or societal responsibility. Amendment 2 explicitly states that the organisation of and access to care services are a national competence and introduces the principle of 'national priority' in allocating public resources for care, justified by 'limited public resources and increasing pressure on social systems'. This opens the door for Member States to legally prioritise their own nationals over EU migrants or third-country nationals in accessing care services.
The amendments represent a unified conservative-sovereigntist position, standing in opposition to the likely views of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), Socialists & Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe, and the Greens/EFA, who generally support a stronger EU role in care infrastructure, investment, and gender equality. The key point of agreement among the signatories is the defence of national competence and the primacy of the family. The key divergence from the rest of the Parliament is on the role of the EU versus Member States and the definition of the primary care provider (family vs. state/society).
Stakeholder impacts
If adopted, the amendments would have several concrete impacts. For EU regulatory bodies, the amendments would limit the EU's ability to set common standards or funding mandates for care services, reinforcing subsidiarity. For national authorities of EU countries, they would gain greater flexibility to design care policies according to national priorities and resource constraints, including the ability to restrict access to care services based on nationality. For EU families, the amendments would reinforce the expectation that care is primarily a family responsibility, potentially reducing the availability of publicly funded care services. For EU producers in the care sector (e.g., childcare, elderly care providers), the amendments could lead to fragmented national markets and reduced EU-level investment, limiting economies of scale and cross-border service provision.
Institutional follow-up
The amendments will be considered by the European Parliament's plenary as part of the debate on the report. The final vote is expected in the coming months. The Council of the European Union and the European Commission will monitor the outcome, though the report is non-binding. The amendments highlight the deep political divide in the Parliament over the EU's role in social policy, with implications for future legislative proposals on care.