Dr.Karoly Gruber

In addition to teaching courses for postgraduate students of economics and advising the University's president for diplomacy and international relations, currently I have worked on university-industry relations. Our chief aim is to get international firms set up innovation and research bases at our new site in Zalaegerszeg, where Bosch has just announced opening a new automotive research and development center.

I am working with EU27 colleagues on a daily basis preparing for strategic decisions such sanctions against Russia or starting a new EU defense mission helping Ukraine. I also do work with leading Hungarian and international companies and banks on complying with EU sanctions. I was in the drafting team for the EU's Global Strategy (2016). I lead a team of 20 currently.

I was the Hungarian member of the EU's Political and Security Committee. Our job involved basically involved making strategic decisions in the EU's foreign security policy involving sanctions policy and sending EU troops abroad. In working together with European Defense Agency, we did an important job in moving towards an EU defense single market.

I was chiefly in charge of providing political analyses and writing speeches for the Hungarian Foreign of the period. I was also member of the network of EU and NATO policy planners. I led a team of 12.

I was senior counsellor at the 1.European department (Western Europe) at the MFA. My main focus was on Hungarian-British and Hungarian-Irish bilateral relations. It included keeping contacts with British and Irish Business Council in Budapest.

One of my main duties was to lobby the British Parliament for ratifying Hungary's EU Accession Treaty. In this capacity, I was in contact with dozens of MPs and Lords of various political parties. In addition, I kept contact with leading research institutes and companies in the City of London.

I was member of the negotiating team, which successfully completed accession talks for Hungary. It involved weekly trips to Brussels where I frequently met and engaged with the officials of the European Commission and memberstes.

I was writing policy briefs and analysis to the then Hungarian Foreign Minister. In addition, I participated in the EU accession talks which led to Hungary's EU membership.

I was coordinating an EU-wide research project with a multi-national team. In addition, I was teaching a course on Central European politics to international students.