Advocacy work at the European Union

The European Union adopts legislative and non-legislative initiatives that have a direct impact on the lives of European citizens. It also plays an important role at an international level, notably for the protection of Human Rights. The EU is an important partner of the United Nations and the biggest donor for development aid.

In this context, the MMM European Delegation focuses on supporting and empowering mothers while highlighting how their contribution at social and economic levels matters for Europe’s future development.

The Delegation works to influence European policies and legislation to bring about positive changes in the lives of mothers, which will have a positive impact on their children, family and society as a whole. MMM aims to support mothers and help them develop their independence.

At the European Parliament, MMM works with the following Committees:

Our work is carried out in a transparent manner in accordance with the Transparency Register established by the European Parliament and the European Commission.

MMM’s main areas of work at the EU

  • Mothers and the Economy: advocacy on the reconciliation of work and family life has been one of the delegation’s primary areas of work, guided by the results of the MMM Survey What matters to mothers in Europe.
  • Mothers and Health: We work to promote human rights in childbirth (including maternal mental health and the fight against obstetric violence) and the prevention of child obesity.
  • Mothers and Peace: MMM promotes the idea that a culture of peace begins during early childhood within families. Mothers have a major role to play along with fathers, are the primary educators for their children in the prevention of violence and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

What the MMM Delegation do

  • Raise awareness ·  among policymakers of the challenges faced by mothers (European Commission, European Parliament, European Economic and Social Committee, Council of the European Union etc.)
  • Propose concrete measures to support mothers
  • Monitor and research policies that impact mothers and their families.
  • Analyse these policy measures and communicate the views of mothers to be taken into account in the preparation of legislative proposals.

 

Partners

MMM collaborates on a regular basis with many European NGOs, notably with Age Platform Europe, COFACE, Eurochild, Eurocarers, the European Women’s Lobby, Maternal Health Europe, etc.

Since December 2016, MMM is a member of the Social Platform the largest network of European civil society organisations active in the social sector. Its mission is to promote policies that contribute to social progress for all, based on human rights

 

 

 

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Job Sharing: A Promising Solution for Working Mothers

24.03.26

By Ariane de Liedekerke, Network Co-ordinator, Make Mothers Matter While many women are still sidelined professionally after becoming mothers, leading to a lose-lose situation, some companies are testing new wa

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Recognising Care
The Relevance of Parenting Skills in the EU Skill Portability Initiative

16.03.26

Make Mothers Matter (MMM) responded to the Public Consultation on the European Commission’s upcoming Skill Portability Initiative. We submitted a paper outlining our views and provided feedback on the need to

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Hidden in Plain Sight: The Mental Health Crisis Facing Young Mothers in Europe

14.03.26

UN Geneva – An MMM submission to the OHCHR call for input on the impact of mental health challenges on the enjoyment of human rights by young people highlights a critical, often overlooked human rights issue:

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Climate finance must prioritise mothers and care

13.03.26

UN Geneva – Responding to the OHCHR Call for inputs on Climate Financing and Human Rights MMM argues that climate finance must prioritise mothers, unpaid caregivers, and maternal health in order to be truly e

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Runa khan at HRC61: Climate change, a lived violation of basic rights for many

13.03.26

UN Geneva – Runa Khan, Founder and Director of Friendship, our member organisation from Bangladesh, was among the four civil society speakers selected to deliver an intervention during the annual High Level S

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MMM’s Response to the EU Public Consultation on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

12.03.26

Make Mothers Matter (MMM) has submitted a formal response to the recent consultation by the European Commission on the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030, calling for greater recogn

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