Myth and Reality Around the Inflation Reduction Act

When German Chancellor Scholz visited Washington earlier this month, the US government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a large subsidy program for the domestic economy, was also on the agenda. Europeans are concerned that it will put their exports at a severe disadvantage. But will it? We will discuss the myth and the reality around this program, and what effects it has had since its introduction and will likely have going forward, with a particular eye on the German economy.

Speakers

• Christoph Schemionek, President and CEO of the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT)
• Werner Schnappauf, former Minister of State
• Prof. Karl Kaiser (Moderator/Introductory statement), Harvard Kennedy School

When: Tuesday, April 25th at 6:00PM
Location: Goethe Institut Boston, 170 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116
Tickets: complimentary, RSVP required

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Christoph Schemionek is the President and CEO of the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT) and the President and CEO of the German Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Washington, DC. Previously, he was the Senior Director for Regional Economic Policy at RGIT, where he was responsible for RGIT’s “German Business in the USA” project, which visualizes the economic contribution of German-owned affiliates in the United States. As RGIT’s World Bank Liaison, he also supported German companies to successfully navigate the World Bank’s procurement process. Christoph holds a Ph.D. in Geography and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Dr. Werner Schnappauf is a former Minister of State and former Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Committee of the BDI (umbrella organization of German industry and industry-related service providers). He is a partner in the law firm GvW Graf von Westphalen. His special areas of experience are energy and the environment, climate, infrastructure and sustainable development. From personal experience, Dr Schnappauf knows all levels of administration and politics and is extensively networked nationally and internationally in business and industry.

Prof. Karl Kaiser is a fellow at the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at Harvard Kennedy School, where he is an adjunct professor for public policy emeritus. At CES, he is co-chair of the European Union Seminar. He was the Otto-Wolf-Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, Bonn/Berlin, and is professor emeritus at the University of Bonn. He was also a Kennedy Fellow at CES. He has published numerous books and articles on German, British, French, and American foreign policies, transatlantic and East-West relations, European integration, and Asian-European relations.

This Special Event is organized by the German-American Business Council with the support of the German Consulate General in Boston.