A Candidate Committed to the Defense of Social and Civil Rights
Diana Riba is running as a candidate for Esquerra Republicana (ERC) in the 2024 European elections, leading the Ahora Repúblicas coalition, which also includes EH Bildu and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG). At 49 years old, Riba has been an MEP in the last legislature and was selected by the party’s National Executive as the number 1 candidate, with the purpose of giving continuity to the policies promoted since 2019. Her main objective is to continue influencing European regulations to preserve social, civil and political rights, as well as defend the interests of Catalonia.
A Leap into Politics at Crucial Moments
The beginning of Diana Riba’s political career dates back to 2017, when her husband, Raül Romeva, was imprisoned along with other members of Carles Puigdemont’s Government. In response to this situation, Riba founded the Associació Catalana pels Civils Drets (ACDC), an entity in which he served as spokesperson, thus marking the beginning of his activism in denouncing State repression and the internationalization of the situation of the independence leaders. Later, in 2019, she moved to Brussels after being elected as an ERC MEP, with the purpose of bringing to Europe the voice of the people who were retaliated against during the process and denouncing the violation of fundamental rights by the Spanish State.
Outstanding Contributions in the European Parliament
During her five years as an MEP in the Green Group, Diana Riba has actively participated in the Committees on Culture and Education, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. Her work has been especially relevant in promoting the first European regulation against gender violence, approved in April. Likewise, she has served as vice president of the Commission of Investigation into the use of the Pegasus spy program, of which she was one of the victims in the Catalangate case. Additionally, she has played a leading role in the Greens’ ‘A Europe of All People’ campaign, which advocates for an EU that recognizes minorities and stateless nations.
Career as a Pedagogue and Bookseller
Before her foray into politics, Diana Riba dedicated herself to pedagogy, studying at the University of Barcelona and later a postgraduate degree in community mediation. During this time, she also worked as a researcher. Furthermore, in 2004, she participated as a cultural programmer in the Barcelona Culture Forum, and in later years she coordinated and managed conference cycles on film and literature at the CaixaForum. His commitment to literature was reflected in the opening of the Pati dels Llibres de Sant Cugat in 2007, a bookstore dedicated to children and young people, where he dedicated the next decade of his life, actively participating in the Gremio de Llibreters de Catalunya and in the Board of the Catalan Children’s and Youth Book Council.