A Saarländerin in the
Manuela Ripa
A Saarländerin in the
European Parliament
My family and home.
My name is Manuela Ripa and I have been representing the Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei (Ecological Democratic Party) in the European Parliament since July 2020. In addition, I am the only EU politician from the German state of Saarland. I was born and raised in its capital city Saarbrücken.
Due to my bilingual upbringing in German and Italian, as well as the proximity to France and Luxembourg, I have been lucky to develop a strong European awareness since my childhood, which I now represent in the European Parliament.
As a mother of two children, I am dedicated to ensuring a sustainable and ecological future for the following generations.
Study and job
After graduating from high school in Saarbrücken, I completed a one-year language study in London and Oxford.
Following this, I attended law school at Saarland University with the electives of European Law, International Law and Law of International Organisations with a stay abroad at the Università degli studi di Bologna.
Legal clerkship and second State examination in law in North Rhine-Westphalia; Administrative post in the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf, International Relations Department; Elective post at the European Commission in Brussels, Directorate-General for External Relations, Multilateral Relations and Human Rights. Further practical experience in the planning staff of the Foreign Office and at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
After that, I started work as a parliamentary advisor and later became head of office to a Member of the European Parliament with responsibilities for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT).
Furthermore, I was Personal Advisor to the German Minister of Health and from 2011 to 2020 I have been working in the Federal State Service as an advisor at the State Representation of Saarland in Brussels on the topics of environment, agriculture, energy, health and regional policy.
Europe.
I had the opportunity to get in contact with many different people, countries, and their cultures:
Through my bilingual upbringing in German and Italian, the proximity of Saarland to France and Luxembourg during my childhood, my study visits to England, Germany, and Italy but also my time in Brussels, I have had the opportunity of coming into contact with many different people, countries, and their cultures.
I have always had the strong feeling that the European spirit is represented everywhere, which has motivated me to fight for a sustainable, ecological, and strong Europe.
Transparency
My official declaration of interest can be found here, as well as a list of my meetings with lobbyists: