The Future of the European Union

This event is sponsored by the Center for Intermarium Studies and the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies at IWP. About the Lecture: The European Union is facing immense internal pressures as well as complex external dilemmas. The migration crisis, Brexit, and the rise of new political ideas have put the debate regarding the future of the EU integration in focus. The upcoming European Parliamentary elections in May 2019 will be a milestone in this debate. Hungarian Ambassador László Szabó will discuss the political and cultural vision of Central and Eastern Europe, and its implications to the region's relations with the United States. About the Speaker: Mr. László Szabó, M.D. physician, businessman, politician and diplomat who is the current Hungarian Ambassador to the United States since 2017. In 1990, Ambassador Szabó graduated from Debrecen Medical University, Hungary with a degree in medicine and practiced as a transplant surgeon for couple of years. In the early 1990’s he shifted to the pharmaceutical industry. He spent more than 20 successful years in the pharma field, held several local and international leadership positions, such as country manager for New Zealand and the South Pacific, vice president of China Human Resources at Eli Lilly; later he became CEO of the Hungarian operations of TEVA. In 2014, when the Government of Hungary decided to put foreign trade and investment to the forefront, and looked for a seasoned business leader, Ambassador Szabó was approached to join public service. He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, building up the trade pillar of the Ministry until his appointment as Ambassador to the U.S. in July 2017.