Ries graduated in Economics and mastered in Journalism at the University of Liège in 1981.
Ries worked as commercial director at Radio FM56 from 1981 to 1984. In 1984, she was hired at RTL (Radio Télévision Luxembourg) first in Luxembourg, as a producer and TV presenter from 1984 to 1987, then in Brussels where she edited and presented the news from 1987 to 1998.
Political career
In 1999, Ries joined the MR (PRL at the time) to become a candidate on the European elections list. Elected Member of the European Parliament since 1999, she has since been a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. In this capacity, she was the Parliament's rapporteur on a proposal to restrict cultivation of genetically modified organisms in 2014[3] and on the reduction of single-use plastics in 2018.[4]
In addition to her committee assignments, Ries has been a member of the Parliament's delegation for relations with Israel since 1999. She is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights,[5] the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas[6] and the MEPs Against Cancer group.[7]
Re-elected in June 2009 with more than 116,000 votes, she is the 5th French-speaking political personality through all political parties in Belgium.
In 2014, Ries supported Françoise Grossetête's (unsuccessful) proposal to establish a European Parliament Intergroup on Health for Citizens, including stakeholders such as the European Cancer Patients Association and the Organisation for European Cancer Institutes.[8]
