Ruprecht Polenz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary General of theChristian Democratic Union | |
| In office 10 April 2000 – November 2000 | |
| Leader | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Angela Merkel |
| Succeeded by | Laurenz Meyer |
| Member of theBundestag | |
| In office 1994–2013 | |
| Succeeded by | Sybille Benning |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-05-26)26 May 1946 (age 78) Großpostwitz, Germany |
| Political party | CDU |
| Alma mater | University of Münster |
Ruprecht Polenz (born 26 May 1946) is a German politician and member of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) political party.
In the1994 national elections, Polenz was first voted into the German federal Parliament, theBundestag. Throughout his time in parliament, he served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs
Polenz became senior member of the CDU party on 10 April 2000 under the leadership of the party's chairwomanAngela Merkel. He was the party's secretary-general from April to November 2000.
Polenz served as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs between 2005 and 2013. He was also a member of the German delegation to theNATO Parliamentary Assembly and a substitute member of the Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs. Additionally, he chaired the Bundestag's Parliamentary Control Panel under Section 41 (5) of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act and was a substitute member of theJoint Committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat under Article 53 a of the Basic Law.
Following his retirement from active politics, Polenz became president of the German Association for East European Studies (DGO).[1] Between 2013 and 2014, he was a Senior Fellow at the Istanbul Policy Center ofSabancı University.
In November 2015, Foreign MinisterFrank-Walter Steinmeier named Polenz Special Envoy for the German-Namibian talks on a joint declaration addressing the colonial-era crackdown againstHereros in Namibia.[2][3] Polenz has stated that he would consider the killingsgenocide.[4]
In 2008, Polenz and four other legislators issued a committee report which concluded that Germany's under-representation in international organizations at the time was because the country lacked a personnel policy and coherent strategy for promoting itself internationally.[5]
Contrary to his own party, Polenz has been one of Germany's most outspoken proponents of anaccession of Turkey to the European Union.[6]
In 2011, Polenz was among the first to speak out publicly against the decision of Quadriga, a German nonprofit group, to honorPrime MinisterVladimir Putin ofRussia; the group later canceled its annual prize ceremony following further public criticism of Putin's stance on democracy and human rights in Russia.[7]
Ahead of the Christian Democrats’leadership election in 2018, Polenz publicly endorsedAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Angela Merkel as the party's chair.[8]
In a well-received, open letter, Polenz turned toRezo after his video "The destruction of the CDU". The politician largely agreed with the Youtuber's positions on climate protection and the CDU's dealings with young voters, particularly with regard to theFriday for future demonstrators.[9]
He has repeatedly described theAfD as right-wing, right-wing extremist and fascist.[10]
Polenz is married and has four children.
"It will be described as genocide," Ruprecht Polenz, Germany's special envoy to the talks, said of a joint statement that the two governments are preparing.
Media related toRuprecht Polenz at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
