Washington, DC – The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition), together with the US Embassy in Budapest and the US Department of State, will sponsor a Public Policy Seminar and Training Program for 25 Hungarian Parliamentarians in Washington, DC, on July 7-27.

The Seminar’s purpose is to familiarize the members of parliament – many of whom have had very little exposure to the United States — with public policy issues in the American context, build relationships within the US government in their respective fields of expertise, and take part in intensive English-language training.

The Seminar will achieve these goals via three types of activities: 

• Official briefings at government and non-governmental agencies;
• Twice-daily English language classes to discuss the daily briefings, with special emphasis on the use of policy terminology;
• Home stays with American families to further immerse the parliamentarians in the English language.

Briefings with the U.S. Departments are being planned around the parliamentarians’ areas of interest, such as monetary policy (Department of the Treasury), corruption/transparency (Department of Justice), and zero-based budgeting (Office of Management and Budget). Meetings with staff of Congressional committees are also on the agenda. Exchanges with non-governmental institutions, such as the Heritage Foundation, the Brookings Institute, and university centers, will provide insight on how Washington’s “policy community” forms its views on Central Europe and Hungary.

The original request for assistance came from a group of parliamentarians who are serving in economic committees of the Hungarian Parliament.  The Coalition sought assistance from the US Embassy in Budapest, which supported this innovative program and worked tirelessly to fit this seminar into existing frameworks, such as the Voluntary Visitors program and the Office of English Language Programs of the Department of State.

Upon conclusion of the Seminar, the participants will receive further follow-up training in Budapest through programs by the US Embassy.

The Hungarian American Coalition is a nationwide non-profit organization that promotes public understanding and awareness of Hungarian American issues.