Ruprecht Polenz

Ruprecht Polenz, born in 1946, was a member of the German Federal Parliament, the Bundestag, from 1994 to 2013 and served as Chair of its Foreign Affairs Committee from 2005 to 2013. Prior to his parliamentary career, the qualified lawyer worked as Managing Director for Press and Public Relations at the Münster Chamber of Industry and Commerce. In 2000, Polenz served as Secretary General of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Since 2013, he has been President of the German Association for East European Studies (DGO). He acts as Special Envoy for the Federal Foreign Office in the negotiations with Namibia concerning the colonial past. Polenz received the “Golden Blogger” award in 2020 for his activity on Twitter. He writes columns and books. Polenz is married; he and his wife have four children and ten grandchildren.