On May 22, 2025, the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics at the Ludovika University of Public Service, in cooperation with the Research Institute of Competitiveness and Economy, organized an invitation-only closed workshop as a side event to the international conference Transatlantic Cooperation and Geopolitical Competition in Central Europe.
The workshop’s distinguished guest was Professor Christopher Ball, economist at Quinnipiac University, Director of the Central European Institute and Istvan Szechenyi Chair.
The objective of the discussion was to provide an informal yet analytically rigorous platform to assess Donald Trump’s trade and tariff policy, especially its implications for transatlantic economic relations. In his keynote remarks, Professor Ball presented the domestic political and economic rationale behind the Trump administration’s tariff strategy and explored its potential consequences. Particular attention was paid to the tariffs imposed on the European Union and China.
His presentation was followed by a lively discussion with invited experts in economics and international relations from institutions including Corvinus University of Budapest, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Research Institute of Competitiveness and Economy, and the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics.