Member of the European Parliament Nela Riehl (Volt) has been honoured with the prestigious MEP Award. At the ceremony in Brussels, she won in the category “Best Newcomer in Parliament.” One year after entering the European Parliament—where she is part of the Greens/EFA group and serves as Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education—the award marks an important recognition for the MEP.
“It’s great to receive this recognition for my work,” said Riehl. “Because it shows that it is being seen—both inside and outside the European Parliament. I came to Brussels as a career changer and jumped straight into the job. At the same time, I bring a fresh perspective—just last spring I was still a teacher in Hamburg, and now I’m chairing the important education committee in Brussels, where I can directly bring in my experience from outside. That’s exactly what this award recognises—a great confirmation that commitment in politics pays off!”
Riehl emphasised that she also sees the award as recognition for her entire team. “As a party, we grew enormously in the European elections and had to build a completely new structure in Brussels. Today, we have a real delegation with motivated people from all over Europe who fight for our political vision every day. Without my team, none of this would work—so this recognition belongs to all of us. But we don’t do politics to win awards—we do it to create real change.”
At the same time, the European politician believes the award sends an important signal beyond the Parliament itself. “I’ve received many congratulations and messages from people who now feel more seen—especially people of colour and women who are politically active. I, too, am still something of a political statement in the European Parliament: one of only four Black Members out of a total of 720. The group photo from the award ceremony also speaks volumes: there are more Thomases on stage than women. We need to work for greater diversity in politics every single day—because we are all Europe!”
The MEP Awards are presented annually by The Parliament magazine in eight categories. Alongside Riehl, Dutch Volt MEP Reinier van Lanschot was also nominated this year.