Michael Mertes
Encyclopedia
Michael Mertes is a German chief officer and author. He was a political advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl
from 1987 to 1998, and he served in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia
(NRW) as the state’s representative to the German
federal institutions and to the European Union
from 2006 to 2010. Since June 2011, he has been Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
(KAS) to Israel
in Jerusalem.
Mertes is married and has four children.
, Paris
, Moscow
). In 1972 he graduated from high school where he had majored in classical languages. After a two year military service from 1972 to 1974 he studied law at Bonn
and Tübingen universities as well as at the London School of Economics
(with a focus on Public international law, Philosophy of Law
, Philosophy of science
). He completed his law degree at the beginning of 1981 and passed his bar exam in 1983.
MP as a parliamentary assistant. From 1984 to 1987, he held various positions in the federal administration (Federal Ministry of Defense, Federal Chancellery, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety). In 1987 Chancellor Kohl appointed him as his chief speechwriter
. After the fall of the Berlin Wall
Mertes co-authored the „Ten Point Program for German and European Unity” which Kohl presented on November 28, 1989. In 1993 he became Director, Policy Planning, and in 1995 he was appointed Director-General, Policy Planning and Cultural Affairs at the Federal Chancellery.
After the change of government from Helmut Kohl to Gerhard Schröder
in 1998, Mertes joined the editorial team of the German weekly Rheinischer Merkur
and remained the newspaper’s foreign editor and deputy editor-in-chief until the end of 2002. From 2003 to July 2006, he worked as an associate for the political consultancy “dimap consult” which he had co-founded with former colleagues. At the same time, he continued writing as a freelance author for “Rheinischer Merkur”, Aufbau
(until 2004) and Project Syndicate
.
In August 2006 Mertes was appointed State Secretary for Federal, European and International Affairs in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf
). In that capacity, he was Plenipotentiary of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Federation (Berlin
) and the State’s representative to the European Union (Brussels
). He left office in 2010 after the change of government from a CDU
-led to an SPD
-led State Government. In 2011 he became head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s
Jerusalem office.
, and (comparative) government. The newspapers and journals to which he contributed include Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
, International Herald Tribune
, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
, The Independent
and several dailys belonging the Project Syndicate
, as well as Dædalus
, Foreign Affairs
, Internationale Politik
, Neprikosnovenny Zapás (Неприкосновенный запас), Obshchaya Tetrad (Общая тетрадъ), Politique étrangère
, Prospect
, The Washington Quarterly, and Transit. He co-authored and co-edited (with Steven Muller
and Heinrich August Winkler
) “In Search of Germany” (1996), and he is the author of “German Questions – European Answers” (2001). Mertes also came out with a German translation of William Shakespeare’s sonnets
(2006) and of selected Elegies
by John Donne
(2009).
In July 1989 he published, with his colleague Norbert J. Prill, a much-debated concept for a multi-speed Europe
which was based on the idea that the European Community, considering the approaching end of the Cold War
, should be prepared to include emerging new democracies from Eastern Europe and neutral countries such as Austria
, Finland
and Sweden
; Mertes and Prill also pleaded for a stronger association of Israel
and Turkey
with the EC. During the 1990s Timothy Garton Ash
, Michael Mertes and Dominique Moïsi
wrote several „trilateral“ (British-German-French) pleas in favour of a combined eastward entlargement and institutional modernisation of the EU.
since 1971, the Kuratorium der Freunde und Förderer des Leo Baeck Instituts
e.V. since 1988, the International Advisory Council of the Moscow School of Political Studies since 2000, the International Board of Directors of the Institute for Human Sciences at Boston University 2001-2009, the Commission for Contemporary History since 2002, and the Drafting Committee for the CDU’s new party platform (Grundsatzprogramm) 2006-2007. In 2006 he received, together with Rabbi Nathan Peter Levinson and Protestant Pastor Johannes Hildebrandt, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation's
Roncalli Award for interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
from 1987 to 1998, and he served in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
(NRW) as the state’s representative to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
federal institutions and to the European Union
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...
from 2006 to 2010. Since June 2011, he has been Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union . The foundation's headquarters are located in Saint Augustine and Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries...
(KAS) to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in Jerusalem.
Mertes is married and has four children.
Early life
As a son of a diplomat, Mertes spent most of his childhood and youth abroad (MarseilleMarseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
). In 1972 he graduated from high school where he had majored in classical languages. After a two year military service from 1972 to 1974 he studied law at Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and Tübingen universities as well as at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(with a focus on Public international law, Philosophy of Law
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
, Philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
). He completed his law degree at the beginning of 1981 and passed his bar exam in 1983.
Career
In 1981 Mertes worked for Carl Otto LenzCarl Otto Lenz
Carl Otto Lenz is a German lawyer, member of the German Bundestag for the CDU and Advocate General at the European Court of Justice .- Biography :...
MP as a parliamentary assistant. From 1984 to 1987, he held various positions in the federal administration (Federal Ministry of Defense, Federal Chancellery, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety). In 1987 Chancellor Kohl appointed him as his chief speechwriter
Speechwriter
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are used by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors.-Skills and training:...
. After the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
Mertes co-authored the „Ten Point Program for German and European Unity” which Kohl presented on November 28, 1989. In 1993 he became Director, Policy Planning, and in 1995 he was appointed Director-General, Policy Planning and Cultural Affairs at the Federal Chancellery.
After the change of government from Helmut Kohl to Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
in 1998, Mertes joined the editorial team of the German weekly Rheinischer Merkur
Rheinischer Merkur
The Rheinischer Merkur was a nationwide conservative German weekly newspaper appearing on Thursdays. It was published in Bonn, its managing director was Bert Günther Wegener, and the editor in chief from 1994 to 2010 was Michael Rutz...
and remained the newspaper’s foreign editor and deputy editor-in-chief until the end of 2002. From 2003 to July 2006, he worked as an associate for the political consultancy “dimap consult” which he had co-founded with former colleagues. At the same time, he continued writing as a freelance author for “Rheinischer Merkur”, Aufbau
Aufbau
Aufbau is a journal for German-speaking Jews around the globe. It was founded in 1934 and is a member of Internationale Medienhilfe . Hannah Arendt, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, and Stefan Zweig wrote for the publication. Until 2004 it was published in New York...
(until 2004) and Project Syndicate
Project Syndicate
Project Syndicate is an international not-for-profit newspaper syndicate and association of newspapers. It distributes commentaries and analysis by experts, activists, Nobel laureates, statesmen, economists, political thinkers, business leaders and academics to its member publications, and...
.
In August 2006 Mertes was appointed State Secretary for Federal, European and International Affairs in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
). In that capacity, he was Plenipotentiary of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Federation (Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) and the State’s representative to the European Union (Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
). He left office in 2010 after the change of government from a CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
-led to an SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
-led State Government. In 2011 he became head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union . The foundation's headquarters are located in Saint Augustine and Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries...
Jerusalem office.
Publications
Since the mid-1980s Mertes has continuously published articles and book chapters on European and international affairs, interreligious dialogueInterfaith dialog
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
, and (comparative) government. The newspapers and journals to which he contributed include Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
, International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung is a major German language Swiss daily newspaper based in Zurich.One of the oldest newspapers still published, it originally appeared as Zürcher Zeitung, edited by Salomon Gessner, from January 12, 1780, and was renamed to Neue Zürcher Zeitung in 1821...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and several dailys belonging the Project Syndicate
Project Syndicate
Project Syndicate is an international not-for-profit newspaper syndicate and association of newspapers. It distributes commentaries and analysis by experts, activists, Nobel laureates, statesmen, economists, political thinkers, business leaders and academics to its member publications, and...
, as well as Dædalus
Daedalus (journal)
Dædalus is a peer-reviewed academic journal founded in 1955 as the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It is published by MIT Press on behalf of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Each issue addresses a theme with essays on the arts, sciences, and humanities. Special...
, Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, Internationale Politik
Internationale Politik
Internationale Politik is the journal of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für auswärtige Politik . It provides authoritative publications on contemporary topics under current editor Sylke Tempel....
, Neprikosnovenny Zapás (Неприкосновенный запас), Obshchaya Tetrad (Общая тетрадъ), Politique étrangère
Politique étrangère
Politique étrangère is the quarterly of the Institut français des relations internationales . It is France's oldest international relations journal. The first edition dates back to 1936 under the aegis of the Centre d’études de politique étrangère...
, Prospect
Prospect (magazine)
Prospect is a monthly British general interest magazine, specialising in politics and current affairs. Frequent topics include British, European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy, and psychology...
, The Washington Quarterly, and Transit. He co-authored and co-edited (with Steven Muller
Steven Muller
Steven Muller was the president of the Johns Hopkins University, serving from 1972 to 1990.He came to the United States in 1940, and he has been a naturalized citizen of the U.S. since 1949....
and Heinrich August Winkler
Heinrich August Winkler
Heinrich August Winkler is a German historian.After attending a Gymnasium in Ulm, he studied history, political science, philosophy and public law at Münster, Heidelberg and Tübingen. In 1970 he became professor at the Free University of Berlin. From 1972 to 1991 he was professor at the University...
) “In Search of Germany” (1996), and he is the author of “German Questions – European Answers” (2001). Mertes also came out with a German translation of William Shakespeare’s sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144...
(2006) and of selected Elegies
Elegiac couplet
The elegiac couplet is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Ovid, adopted the same form in Latin many years later...
by John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
(2009).
In July 1989 he published, with his colleague Norbert J. Prill, a much-debated concept for a multi-speed Europe
Multi-speed Europe
Multi-speed Europe or two-speed Europe is the idea that different parts of the European Union should integrate at different levels and pace depending on the political situation in each individual country...
which was based on the idea that the European Community, considering the approaching end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, should be prepared to include emerging new democracies from Eastern Europe and neutral countries such as Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
; Mertes and Prill also pleaded for a stronger association of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
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...
with the EC. During the 1990s Timothy Garton Ash
Timothy Garton Ash
Timothy Garton Ash is a British historian, author and commentator. He is currently serving as Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. Much of his work has been concerned with the late modern and contemporary history of Central and Eastern Europe...
, Michael Mertes and Dominique Moïsi
Dominique Moïsi
Dominique Moïsi is a French Political Scientist and writer.He was a co-founder and is a senior advisor of the Paris-based Institut Français des Relations Internationales , Pierre Keller Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and the chairholder for Geopolitics at the College of Europe in Natolin...
wrote several „trilateral“ (British-German-French) pleas in favour of a combined eastward entlargement and institutional modernisation of the EU.
Selected involvements
Mertes has been a member of the CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
since 1971, the Kuratorium der Freunde und Förderer des Leo Baeck Instituts
Leo Baeck Institute
The Leo Baeck Institute-New York in Manhattan is a library, archive, and exhibition centre devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. The Institutes's offices and collections are housed in Center for Jewish History in New York City...
e.V. since 1988, the International Advisory Council of the Moscow School of Political Studies since 2000, the International Board of Directors of the Institute for Human Sciences at Boston University 2001-2009, the Commission for Contemporary History since 2002, and the Drafting Committee for the CDU’s new party platform (Grundsatzprogramm) 2006-2007. In 2006 he received, together with Rabbi Nathan Peter Levinson and Protestant Pastor Johannes Hildebrandt, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation's
International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is a non-governmental organization which researches Holocaust rescuers and advocates for their recognition. The organization developed educational programs for school to promote peace and civil service...
Roncalli Award for interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Books
- In Search of Germany (with Steven MullerSteven MullerSteven Muller was the president of the Johns Hopkins University, serving from 1972 to 1990.He came to the United States in 1940, and he has been a naturalized citizen of the U.S. since 1949....
und Heinrich August WinklerHeinrich August WinklerHeinrich August Winkler is a German historian.After attending a Gymnasium in Ulm, he studied history, political science, philosophy and public law at Münster, Heidelberg and Tübingen. In 1970 he became professor at the Free University of Berlin. From 1972 to 1991 he was professor at the University...
). Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick and London 1996, ISBN 1-56000-880-6 - Немецкие вопросы – европейские ответы (German Questions – European Answers). Moscow School of Political Studies, Moscow 2001, ISBN 5-93895-017-1
- Du, meine Rose, bist das All für mich. Die Sonette von William Shakespeare ins Deutsche übertragen und kommentiert von Michael Mertes mit einem Nachwort von Arnold Stadler. Franz Schön, Bonn 2006, ISBN 978-3-9811154-0-6
Book chapters and essays
- Germany’s Social and Political Culture: Change Through Consensus?. In: DædalusDaedalus (journal)Dædalus is a peer-reviewed academic journal founded in 1955 as the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It is published by MIT Press on behalf of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Each issue addresses a theme with essays on the arts, sciences, and humanities. Special...
123, 1 (Winter 1994) - Europe's Map, Compass and Horizon: Where? Why? With Whom? (with Dominique MoïsiDominique MoïsiDominique Moïsi is a French Political Scientist and writer.He was a co-founder and is a senior advisor of the Paris-based Institut Français des Relations Internationales , Pierre Keller Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and the chairholder for Geopolitics at the College of Europe in Natolin...
). In: Foreign AffairsForeign AffairsForeign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
January/February 1995 - Les questions allemandes au XXe siècle: identité, démocratie, équilibre européen. In: Politique étrangèrePolitique étrangèrePolitique étrangère is the quarterly of the Institut français des relations internationales . It is France's oldest international relations journal. The first edition dates back to 1936 under the aegis of the Centre d’études de politique étrangère...
3-4/2000 - What Distinguishes Europe? In: Krzysztof MichalskiKrzysztof MichalskiKrzysztof Michalski is a Polish philosopher. He is the founder and current rector of Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna. He also teaches at Boston University in the United States.He was a student of Hans-Georg Gadamer.-References:...
(Ed.): What Holds Europe Together?. Central European University Press, Budapest and New York 2006, ISBN 978-963-7326-47-9 - John DonneJohn DonneJohn Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
, Elegien. Nachdichtungen von Michael Mertes. In: Sinn und Form 5/2009