Ruprecht Polenz is a former member of the German Bundestag (1994–2013). As Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow, he organized a series of high-level events, including an expert roundtable at the Turkish foreign ministry and panel discussions at the German embassy in Ankara and at IPC. As Member of Parliament, Polenz held the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The focal points of his work are foreign and security policy, with regional emphasis on the Middle East, in particular Iran and Turkey and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, he chaired the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Control Panel under Section 41 (5) of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act and is a substitute member of the Joint Committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat under Article 53a of the Basic Law. In the year 2000, Ruprecht Polenz was the Secretary-General of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Polenz is the President of the German Association for East European Studies and also Chairman of the Television Council of the ZDF (a national television broadcaster). Furthermore, he is a member of the CDU’s Federal Committee on Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Münster University of Applied Sciences. He is a lawyer and has worked since 1980 for Northern Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce, becoming its director for media and public relations in 1984.
Turkey-EU Relations in the Post-July 15 Era: A Needed Cooperation and Collaboration
Istanbul Policy Center organized a panel “Turkey-EU Relations in the Post-July 15 Era A Needed Cooperation and Collaboration” on October 10, 2016, at The Seed, Sakıp Sabancı Museum.
The panel, which was moderated by Senem Aydın-Düzgit, Senior Scholar & Research and Academic Affairs Coordinator at IPC, hosted Fuat Keyman, Director of Istanbul Policy Center; Ruprecht Polenz, Former Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at German Bundestag and 2014/15 Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow; Nilüfer Göle, Professor at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and 2014/15 Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow; and Gerald Knaus, Founding Chairman of the European Stability Initiative and 2016/17 Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow, as speakers.
10th Anniversary of the Istanbul Policy Center-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative
The 10th anniversary celebration event of the Istanbul Policy Center-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative was held at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum on Thursday, May 12.
Please click here to watch the event.
Arab Spring in Perspective: Implications for Europe
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a lecture titled "Arab Spring in Perspective: Implications for Europe" with Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Ruprecht Polenz on March 19, 2014 at Sabancı University.
The lecture took place in the framework of “Current Issues in Turkish Politics” course by Director Fuat Keyman.
The German Elections and the Future of EU-Turkey Relations
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a panel discussion titled "The German Elections and the Future of EU-Turkey Relations" with Mercator-IPC Fellow Ruprecht Polenz on January 22, 2014 at IPC. Ruprecht Polenz, Gerald Knaus and Ebru Turhan participated as panelists.
Negotiating Political Power in Turkey: Breaking up the Party
The book launch of Negotiating Political Power in Turkey: Breaking up the Party by Elise Massicard and Nicole F. Watts took place on October 10, 2013 at IPC Karakoy.
Welcoming of the 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellows
Welcoming of the 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellows took place on October 7, 2013 at Cezayir Restaurant. Welcoming remarks were given by IPC Director Fuat Keyman and Stiftung Mercator President Bernhard Lorentz.
In the panel organized under the framework of welcoming event; IPC Executive Board Member and Brookings Institute Vice President Kemal Derviş, École des hautes études en sciences sociales Professor and Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Nilüfer Göle, 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellow Kerem Öktem, Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow and Former Member of the German Parliament Ruprecht Polenz and IPC Director Fuat Keyman had a discussion titled “Turkey in Europe: Living Together and Democratization.”
The Arab Spring in Perspective: Implications for Europe and Turkey
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a panel titled "The Arab Spring in Perspective: Implications for Europe and Turkey" with Mercator-IPC Senior FellowRuprecht Polenz on March 17, 2014 at IPC. Ruprecht Polenz, former member of the German Parliament and chair of its Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mesut Özcan, Chairman of the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) participated as speakers and Director Fuat Keyman moderated the talk.
