Joost Lagendijk
Encyclopedia
Joost Lagendijk (ˈjoːst ˈlaː.ɣə(n).ˌdɛi̯k) (born 8 June 1957 in Roosendaal, Netherlands
) is a Senior Advisor at the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabancı University. He is a former Green Left
Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) and served as the joint chairman of the Turkey-EU Parliamentarians delegation.
Lagendijk studied history
at the University of Utrecht. He graduated in 1985. Before graduating Lagendijk worked as a book sales person at the publisher Van Gennep. After graduating Lagendijk became an adviser to the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP) in the House of Representatives until 1987. He was elected vice-chairman and international secretary of the PSP for the period 1987-1991. During this period he oversaw the merger of the PSP with three other parties into the GreenLeft. He was one of the editors of the GreenLeft's party manifesto of 1991. In addition to international secretary of the PSP, he also was elected international secretary of the GreenLeft for the period 1989-1994. He also founded "De Helling" (The Slope) in 1987 a magazine closely linked to the GreenLeft, he was its publisher until 1990, and one of its writers until 1994.
Professionally he worked for the publisher SUA between 1987 and 1988. In 1988 he became chairman and publisher of the "Tijdschrift Maatschappelijk Welzijn" (Magazine for Social Work). In 1994 he became publisher for Babylon-De Geus.
In 1997 he became GreenLeft's campaign coordinator for the 1998 general elections
.
, which he still is, member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism
, which he left after 1999 elections, member of the delegation for relations with Russia, which he also left after the elections, and substitute for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
, which he left after the 2004 elections.
In 1999
he headed the GreenLeft's electoral list for the European elections. He, and with him three other Dutch Greens, were elected into parliament. After the elections, he became chair of the delegation to the EU
–Turkey
Joint Parliamentary Committee, which he still is, and thereby a member of the conference of Delegation leaders. He became also member for the delegation for relations with the Southeast European countries, which he left following the 2004 elections.
In a controversial leadership election in 2004, fellow MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg
was elected to head the GreenLeft list in the European Elections instead of Lagendijk. After the 2004 elections
he became a member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence
, substitute for the Committee on Transport and Tourism
and member of the delegation for relations with the Gulf States
, including Yemen
. He is chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee with Turkey.
Lagendijk has published two books on European foreign affairs, together with Labour MEP Jan Marinus Wiersma
. In 2000 they published "Brussel - Warschau - Kiev. Op zoek naar de grenzen van de Europese Unie" ("Brussel-Warsaw-Kiev, searching for the borders of the European Union") concerning EU enlargement. In 2004 they published "Na Mars komt Venus. Een Europees antwoord op Bush" ("After Mars comes Venus. A European answer to Bush") concerning the EU's peace and nation-building
policy.
As MEP Lagendijk has shown particular interest for the Balkan-region and Turkey
, and especially in keeping the peace in this unstable region. His pacifist
background is clearly influential there. In December 2005, he visited Turkey to attend the trial against Orhan Pamuk
and speak at an event for the Greens of Turkey
. In his speech he criticized the military of Turkey for using the violence by the PKK as justification for violence against the Kurdish
population. He was then charged with public denigration of the Turkish army. Lagendijk expected pressure by the media
in Turkey to force prosecutors to drop charges. Indeed, the prosecutor declined to prosecute, referring to the Turkish constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights
, and the case was dropped. Therefore, in 2009 he left the European Parliament and moved to Istanbul. As of July 2009, Mr.Lagendijk is working as a Senior Advisor for the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabancı University.Although being a columnist for the Radikal daily newspaper for a while he started writing at Zaman newspaper which is the newspaper with highest number of readers in Turkey.
reported that Joost Lagendijk was planning to marry Nevin Sungur, an award-winning journalist and reporter for the Turkish channel NTV
.
The two were married on 28 October 2006 by the mayor of Beyoğlu
, Istanbul
, in the famous Pera Palas hotel.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) is a Senior Advisor at the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabancı University. He is a former Green Left
Green left
The term Green left is used primarily to refer to a combination of environmentalism, feminism, socialism, and pacifism in countries where the term is used...
Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) and served as the joint chairman of the Turkey-EU Parliamentarians delegation.
Career before politics
After finishing high schoolSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
Lagendijk studied history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the University of Utrecht. He graduated in 1985. Before graduating Lagendijk worked as a book sales person at the publisher Van Gennep. After graduating Lagendijk became an adviser to the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP) in the House of Representatives until 1987. He was elected vice-chairman and international secretary of the PSP for the period 1987-1991. During this period he oversaw the merger of the PSP with three other parties into the GreenLeft. He was one of the editors of the GreenLeft's party manifesto of 1991. In addition to international secretary of the PSP, he also was elected international secretary of the GreenLeft for the period 1989-1994. He also founded "De Helling" (The Slope) in 1987 a magazine closely linked to the GreenLeft, he was its publisher until 1990, and one of its writers until 1994.
Professionally he worked for the publisher SUA between 1987 and 1988. In 1988 he became chairman and publisher of the "Tijdschrift Maatschappelijk Welzijn" (Magazine for Social Work). In 1994 he became publisher for Babylon-De Geus.
In 1997 he became GreenLeft's campaign coordinator for the 1998 general elections
Dutch general election, 1998
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998.-Result:...
.
Political career
In 1998, when MEP Nel van Dijk left the European Parliament to become chairperson of the Dutch Bureau against Age Discrimination, he suddenly became MEP. He became a member of the Committee on Foreign AffairsCommittee on Foreign Affairs (EU)
The Committee on Foreign Affairs , previously called Political Affairs, is a committee of the European Parliament...
, which he still is, member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism
Committee on Transport and Tourism
The Committee on Transport and Tourism is a committee within the European Parliament.-External links:* Present Chairman is British Labour MEP Brian Simpson...
, which he left after 1999 elections, member of the delegation for relations with Russia, which he also left after the elections, and substitute for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs is a committee of the European Parliament.Since Economic and Monetary Union , the most important function of this Committee has been in relation to the European Central Bank . Although guaranteed independence under the Treaty, the ECB is accountable...
, which he left after the 2004 elections.
In 1999
European Parliament election, 1999 (Netherlands)
The European Parliament election of 1999 in the Netherlands was the election of MEP representing Netherlands constituency for the 1999-2004 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 1999 European election. It was held on on June 10, 1999...
he headed the GreenLeft's electoral list for the European elections. He, and with him three other Dutch Greens, were elected into parliament. After the elections, he became chair of the delegation to the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
–Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Joint Parliamentary Committee, which he still is, and thereby a member of the conference of Delegation leaders. He became also member for the delegation for relations with the Southeast European countries, which he left following the 2004 elections.
In a controversial leadership election in 2004, fellow MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg
Kathalijne Buitenweg
Kathalijne Maria Buitenweg is a Dutch politician. Between 1999 and 2009, she was a Member of the European Parliament for the Green Left, which is part of the European Greens, and sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.-Before politics:From 1985 to...
was elected to head the GreenLeft list in the European Elections instead of Lagendijk. After the 2004 elections
European Parliament election, 2004 (Netherlands)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in the Netherlands was the election of MEP representing Netherlands constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. It was held on on June 10, 2004....
he became a member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence
Subcommittee on Security and Defence
The Subcommittee on Security and Defence is a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament. It concerns Defence, and Security....
, substitute for the Committee on Transport and Tourism
Committee on Transport and Tourism
The Committee on Transport and Tourism is a committee within the European Parliament.-External links:* Present Chairman is British Labour MEP Brian Simpson...
and member of the delegation for relations with the Gulf States
Persian Gulf States
Persian Gulf States can refer to:* Countries in the Middle East bordering the Persian Gulf and sometimes known as the Gulf States: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates....
, including Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. He is chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee with Turkey.
Lagendijk has published two books on European foreign affairs, together with Labour MEP Jan Marinus Wiersma
Jan Marinus Wiersma
Jan Marinus Wiersma is a Dutch politician and from 1994-2009 Member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Labour Party, vice-chair of the Party of European Socialists group, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.He was also a member of the Subcommittee on...
. In 2000 they published "Brussel - Warschau - Kiev. Op zoek naar de grenzen van de Europese Unie" ("Brussel-Warsaw-Kiev, searching for the borders of the European Union") concerning EU enlargement. In 2004 they published "Na Mars komt Venus. Een Europees antwoord op Bush" ("After Mars comes Venus. A European answer to Bush") concerning the EU's peace and nation-building
Nation-building
For nation-building in the sense of enhancing the capacity of state institutions, building state-society relations, and also external interventions see State-building....
policy.
As MEP Lagendijk has shown particular interest for the Balkan-region and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and especially in keeping the peace in this unstable region. His pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
background is clearly influential there. In December 2005, he visited Turkey to attend the trial against Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....
and speak at an event for the Greens of Turkey
Greens of Turkey
Greens Party is the Green party in Turkey. Being the 57th political party of Turkey, it was established on June 30, 2008 after years of preparation since 2002. A green party with the same name was established in 1988, but was closed down in 1994. Greens maintain local branches and initiatives in...
. In his speech he criticized the military of Turkey for using the violence by the PKK as justification for violence against the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
population. He was then charged with public denigration of the Turkish army. Lagendijk expected pressure by the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
in Turkey to force prosecutors to drop charges. Indeed, the prosecutor declined to prosecute, referring to the Turkish constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
, and the case was dropped. Therefore, in 2009 he left the European Parliament and moved to Istanbul. As of July 2009, Mr.Lagendijk is working as a Senior Advisor for the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabancı University.Although being a columnist for the Radikal daily newspaper for a while he started writing at Zaman newspaper which is the newspaper with highest number of readers in Turkey.
Personal life
On 23 April 2006 the Turkish newspaper HürriyetHürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
reported that Joost Lagendijk was planning to marry Nevin Sungur, an award-winning journalist and reporter for the Turkish channel NTV
NTV Turkey
NTV is a Turkish nationwide television news channel. NTV was founded in 1996 by Turkish businessman Cavit Çağlar as the first news channel of Turkey and has partnered with MSNBC since May 2000. Aired on this channel is usually the news but also provides football games, especially La Liga matches,...
.
The two were married on 28 October 2006 by the mayor of Beyoğlu
Beyoglu
Beyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, in the famous Pera Palas hotel.