The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, Former Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and Former Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research, and Technology
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org
Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers is the former Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the most populous state of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was the first Christian Democrat to serve as Minister-President of NRW since 1966, a position he held from 2005 to 2010. He was also a Member of the Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2000 to 2012 and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the CDU from 2000 to 2005. As Minister-President, he coped successfully with the onset of the global financial crisis by gradually reducing subsidies for the coal industry, preventing the closure of an automobile plant in his state, and committing to job-saving measures. Before focusing his political work on North Rhine-Westphalia, Dr. Rüttgers held various posts in German federal politics. Between 1987 and 2000, he was a Member of the German Bundestag. From 1991 to 1994, Dr. Rüttgers was the First Secretary of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group. In 1994, he was appointed Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research, and Technology by then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Dr. Rüttgers currently serves on the Boards of several foundations, including the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He is Chairman of the Board of Stiftung Bundeskanzler-Adenauer-Haus and President of the German branch of the Jerusalem Foundation. He is also an attorney and a lecturer at the University of Bonn.