Samira Rafaela

Samira Rafaela is Member of the European Parliament for Dutch social-liberal party D66 since 2019. She is the first Dutch Afro-Caribbean MEP in the European Parliament, and one of the youngest MEPs elected in 2019. In 2020, Samira was selected as Politico Europe’s one of the 20 MEPs to watch in 2020 for her contribution to making trade more green and fair. In 2020, Samira won the Harper’s Bazaar International Women of the Year Award.

In the European Parliament, Samira is a member of the Committee on International Trade, and is the Coordinator for Renew Europe in this committee. She is also the Co-President of the parliament’s Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI), where she is always on the forefront of mainstreaming racial equality in the parliament and beyond. Additionally, she is a member in the Committee on Women’s rights and Gender Equality, where she was the co-rapporteur for the Pay Transparency Directive. A ground-breaking new law, that will significantly push the efforts in closing the gender pay gap. Samira is also a substitute in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, substitute in the Committee on Human Rights, and substitute in the Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic. Before her election as a Member of the European Parliament, Samira advised the Commissioner’s staff of the Dutch police force on inclusion and diversity.