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  • Full event title 'Global Gateway Strategy: EU’s Values-Based Strategy for Enhanced International Partnerships and Sustainable Investments'

    In her remarks, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, presents the Global Gateway investment strategy. In a time of geopolitical turmoil and subsequent global crises, which have hit the most vulnerable the hardest, Global Gateway is the European Union’s positive and holistic partnership offer to advance Sustainable Development Goals in partner countries. It reflects the new paradigm of development cooperation, stemming from the need to reset relations with the Global South and build mutually beneficial, equal partnerships to solve global challenges.

    About the Speaker:

    As European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms Jutta Urpilainen oversees the European Commission’s work on international cooperation and sustainable development. Before joining the Commission, Ms Urpilainen served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2019. In 2008, she became the first woman leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Finland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. During that time, she became closely involved in development issues, joining the Development Committee of the World Bank Group and IMF, and chairing the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. She served as the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative on Mediation (2017-19) and chaired the Finnish National Commission for UNESCO (2015-18).

  • In his talk, Michael Kenny discusses the main themes of his new book, Fractured Union, which provides a comprehensive analysis of how and why the UK’s Union has, in his opinion, come near to breaking apart in recent years. He explores the policy options and cultural changes required in British politics and government to put the Union on a more stable footing. He also considers the implications of the next general election taking place in the UK for the next 10-20 years, and discusses what will be different, and what might continue, in the event of a victory for Keir Stamer’s Labour Party.

    About the Speaker:

    Michael Kenny is Professor of Public Policy, and the inaugural Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge where he leads the Institute’s place and public policy programme. He is a visiting Fellow at the UCL Constitution Unit, a Fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences, and holds advisory positions with the Constitution Society, the ‘Behaviour Change by Design’ project, and ‘The Science of Global Risk’ project. His research includes leading projects on left-behind communities, social infrastructure and devolution, and the future of the UK constitution. His latest book is entitled Fractured Union: Politics, Sovereignty, and the Fight to Save the UK.

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  • In his presentation, Gerald Knaus argues that migration fears drive populist leaders like Viktor Orban and Donald Trump to undermine post-war liberal democracies. Using examples from Austria, France, Italy, and Germany, Dr Knaus will demonstrate how these fears have enabled the far-right to achieve their strongest results in recent European elections. He offers suggestions on how to improve migration management in Europe by moving towards a more humane legal system which balances border control and human rights by introducing fast and fair asylum procedures, strategic deportations, and legal mobility for migrants. He also discusses partnership agreements and other options to deter illegal migration.

    About the Speaker:

    Gerald Knaus is an Austrian migration expert and a well-known advisor on migration policy. He is the founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI) think tank and a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. An accomplished author, in 2020, he published the award-winning SPIEGEL bestseller “What Borders Do We Need?” and prior to that he wrote a book in 2011 with the British writer and then politician Rory Stewart entitled: “Can Intervention Work? He was an Associate Fellow at the Kennedy School in Harvard University for five years and has lectured at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, at the State University of Ukraine and at the NATO College in Rome. Apart from refugee issues, his expertise covers economics, southern Europe and the Balkans, rule of law in Europe, and corruption.

  • In recent years digital technologies have led to rapid economic and social change. For Ireland and Europe to adapt, grow, and prosper in the digital age it is vital that their populations are equipped with the right skills to navigate this digital transition. In this event an expert panel examines the current state of play with regards to digital skills in Ireland and Europe. The panel also discusses the challenges and opportunities relating to digital skills for the economy and society. The panel also explores the role of policymakers and other stakeholders in promoting the uptake of the skills required to ensure a prosperous and inclusive future.

    This event is jointly organised by the IIEA and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS).

    This event begins with a keynote address by Minister Patrick O’Donovan, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

    The panel for this event include:

    Francesca Borgonovi, Head of the Skills Analysis team in the OECD Centre for Skills
    Barry Lowry, Chief Information Officer of the Government of Ireland
    Grainne Blake, Associate Director, KPMG
    Anna Thomas, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for the Future of Work

  • How effective has America’s new industrial policy been to date? How seriously should western countries take the threat of a wave of cheap Chinese goods flooding the global marketplace? Is the end of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency in sight? What lessons can be drawn from Japan's 20-year history of unconventional monetary policy? And how is American public opinion shifting on issues ranging from domestic political polarization to the role of the US in the world? In the next edition of IIEA Insights, polymath analyst Noah Smith will answer these question and others about which he has written recently.

    Noah Smith is an American blogger, journalist, and commentator on economics and current events. A former assistant professor of Behavioral Finance at Stony Brook University, Smith writes for his own Substack blog, Noahpinion, and posts prolifically to his more than 300,000 followers on X. He has also written for publications including Bloomberg, Quartz, Associated Press, Business Insider, and The Atlantic.

  • Sally Hayden, journalist and photographer focused on migration, conflict, and humanitarian crises and an international correspondent for The Irish Times, participates in a fireside chat with IIEA Researcher Tara Kukec and a Q&A session with members. Based on her acclaimed book “My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route,” Ms Hayden discusses the movement of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, their treatment on the way to Europe, and how EU institutions and citizens have responded to the ongoing migration crisis. She also provides insights into her personal experience conveying the stories of refugees and what she has witnessed throughout her reporting.

    About the Speaker: 

    Sally Hayden is a journalist and photographer focused on migration, conflict, and humanitarian crises and is an international correspondent for The Irish Times. Her debut book, “My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route,” was awarded the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, Il Premio Terzani, An Post Irish Book of the Year, and the Michel Deon Prize. She is a three-time winner for ‘best foreign coverage’ at the Irish Journalism Awards and was named Journalist of the Year in 2023.

  • About the Speech: Since the onset of Russia's war against Ukraine, the Franco-German engine has stalled. The two countries are pursuing fundamentally different policies, particularly in security, defense, and energy. Additionally, Berlin and Paris have failed to achieve significant progress on EU enlargement and reform. In this IIEA discussion, Dr Ronja Kempin will discuss the reasons behind the strained relationship between the two countries and assess how to bridge the divide and inject new momentum into the EU integration process.

    About the Speaker:

    Dr. Ronja Kempin is a Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, advising the Bundestag, the German government, and the business community on foreign policy issues. Previously, she led the EU External Relations Research Group at SWP and advised the German Federal Foreign Office. In 2024/2025, she will hold the Alfred Grosser Chair at SciencesPo Paris. Her research focuses on European security and defence policy, particularly the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, as well as France and Franco-German relations.

  • This panel discussion on sustainable aviation brings together leaders from industry and research. Steven Fitzgerald, Ryanair; Steven Gillard, Boeing; and Prof Marina Efthymiou, DCU, share insights into sustainability initiatives in aviation, including advancements in eco-friendly aircraft technology, operational strategies to reduce carbon emissions, and the role of policy and innovation in achieving sustainability goals. The panel also explores how research can contribute to innovative solutions and workforce development in this field. The aim of this panel discussion be to provide insights into collaborative efforts between airlines, manufacturers, and researchers to drive the aviation industry towards a green future.

    Speakers on this panel include:

    Steven Fitzgerald, Head of Sustainability and Finance at Ryanair
    Steven Gillard, Regional Director for Middle East and Europe Sustainability at Boeing
    Dr Marina Efthymiou, Professor of Aviation Management at Dublin City University Business School.

  • As adolescent mental health has declined substantially in the last decade, it has spurred pervasive concern that digitalisation and social media use might be playing a part in this phenomenon. Dr Orben reflects on the challenges and problems facing research in this space to date, and provides an overview of her team’s work in trying to address these challenges to produce evidence that can be used to improve adolescent’s mental health.

    About the speaker:

    Dr Amy Orben is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Fellow of St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge. She directs an internationally renowned research programme investigating the links between mental health and digital technology use in adolescence. Dr Orben advises governments, health officials and public servants around the world. She has received a range of prestigious awards including the Medical Research Council Early Career Impact Prize (2022), British Psychological Society Award for Outstanding Contributions to Doctoral Research (2019) and Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Mission Award (2020).

  • In his remarks, the Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Seán Fleming T.D., discusses the legacy and significant achievements of Irish Aid 50. He outlines Ireland’s strong and consistent focus on ending poverty and hunger and how reaching the furthest behind first, especially in Africa, is at the heart of Irish Aid’s programme.

    The Minister reflects on his own personal experiences as Minister for International Development since his appointed. He also addresses the many challenges and overlapping crises that are impacting Ireland’s international development programme. While attention this year has been centred on the Middle East and the plight of Ukraine and its people, the Minister highlights how Ireland has not put aside its commitments to and focus on those living in poverty and crisis in the least developed countries worldwide. Finally, he sets out Ireland’s priorities and responses to these interlinked challenges, focusing on: gender equality, reducing humanitarian need, climate action and strengthening governance.

    About the Speaker:

    Seán Fleming T.D. is Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora. He was appointed to this role in December 2022. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. Minister Fleming was elected to represent the Laois-Offaly constituency at the 2020 General Election, having been first elected to the Dáil in 1997.

  • 'Housing policy – international evidence on what works'

    Paul Cotter, Principal Officer in the Economics Division of the Department of Finance, and Michelle Norris, Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Geary Institute for Public Policy at University College Dublinand, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist

  • In his address to the IIEA, former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, discusses current global developments and how these relate to the European challenges of our time. In Mr Van Rompuy’s opinion, these challenges include democracy, leadership, strategic autonomy, deindustrialisation, immigration, and potential institutional changes. In his remarks, he also discusses growing individualisation within the European Union and how this affects our societies and politics.

    About the Speaker:

    Herman Van Rompuy was the first full-time President of the European Council, a position he held from December 2009 until November 2014. At the time of his election, he was serving as the Prime Minister of Belgium. A former economist at the National Bank of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy began his political career in 1973 as national vice-president of the youth movement of the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V). He served in the Belgian Parliament and in the Belgian Government in multiple positions. Having retired from politics, Mr Van Rompuy served as the President of the European Policy Centre (2015-2022) and is currently the President of the Administrative Council of the College of Europe.

  • Against the backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions, the relationship between the EU, its Member States, and China has continued to remain of significant importance. As the United States' relationship with China has deteriorated, the EU has increasingly sought to chart its own course vis a vis China, seeking partnerships where beneficial while ensuring its own interests are looked after. In this IIEA discussion, Finbarr Bermingham reflects on the present state of the EU's relationship with China, its challenges and opportunities, and explores what the future holds for the EU-China Relationship.

    About the Speaker:

    Finbarr Bermingham is a Brussels-based correspondent covering Europe's relationship with China. He is the Senior Europe Correspondent for the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, a role he has held since 2021. Over the last decade, he has reported on China through a number of different lenses. Over seven years in Hong Kong he chronicled the Chinese trade economy through the Trump years and Covid-19. Since coming to Brussels, he has charted the downward spiral in EU-China ties following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He regularly appears on broadcast media and has won and been nominated for awards for his reporting and podcasting.

  • In their address to the IIEA, John FitzGerald and Edgar Morgenroth present their recent IIEA publication on the Northern Ireland subvention, which considers what the financial costs for the government in Ireland would be of Irish unification, using data from 2019. They discuss the findings from their paper, including that covering the Northern Ireland deficit would cost around 5% of Irish national income, and raising Northern Ireland’s public service pay rate and welfare rates to levels south of the border would cost another 5% of national income. According to FitzGerald and Morgenroth, if Northern Ireland were to immediately address the cause of its very low productivity, especially the inadequacies of its educational system, when such action matured in 25 or 30 years, this could substantially reduce the cost of unification. A quicker productivity win would also be available if Northern Ireland could persuade the large number of emigrants who are university graduates living in England to return.

    About the Speakers:

    John FitzGerald is Co-Chair of the Institute of International and European Affairs Economists Group, a member of the UK Group, and an Honorary Fellow, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin. He is also a Research Affiliate at the Economic and Social Research Institute, and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.  He was a member of the Central Bank of Ireland Commission from 2010 to 2020 and he was Chairman of the Irish government’s Climate Change Advisory Council until January 2021.

    Dr Edgar Morgenroth is a member of the Institute of International and European Affairs Economists Group and UK Group, and a full Professor of Economics at DCU Business School, Dublin City University. He has held positions at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Keele University, and the Strategic Investment Board of Northern Ireland (SIB). He is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association, having served as its vice chairman and treasurer.

  • In recent years, Europe and much of the world have suffered the largest inflation shock in decades. Central banks have responded with large and rapid increases in interest rates. In his presentation to the IIEA, Philip Lane, Chief Economist of the European Central Bank, discusses the inflation outlook in the Eurozone at a time when hopes of a return to price stability are rising.

    About the Speaker:

    Philip R. Lane has been a Member of the six-person Executive Board of the European Central Bank since June 2019. Previously, he was the 11th Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland. Before taking on these policy-making roles, he was on the academic staff at Trinity College Dublin and remains affiliated with the university as Honorary Professor of Economics. In other roles, Philip has chaired the Advisory Scientific Committee and Advisory Technical Committee of the European Systemic Risk Board and has acted as an academic consultant for the European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, OECD and Asian Development Bank among others.

  • SMEs are a vital part of Europe’s digital economy and are essential to ensuring Europe’s future prosperity. In his address to the IIEA, Mr Toffaletti provides a SME perspective on developments in digital policy and the digital economy over recent years. He particularly assesses the challenges that SMEs may face in navigating digital regulation and the potential role of digital policy in promoting SMEs. He also assesses the opportunities and challenges ahead for the digital SME sector.

    About the Speaker:

    Sebastiano Toffaletti holds a Master Degree in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering from the University of Bologna. He has authored several articles and position papers on topics such as Intellectual Property Rights, Standards, e-Skills, Net Neutrality and Cloud Computing. He is chairman of the Working Group on SMEs at the European Cybersecurity Organisation (ECSO), is a member of the board of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and serves on the EU Multi-stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation. He has headed the secretariat of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance since 2008.

  • In her address, Aoife Barry discusses her book Social Capital: Life Online in the Shadow of Ireland's Tech Boom, which focuses on what she discovered while interviewing people in Ireland about their online behaviour and how they have been treated online, and what this illustrates about the regulatory and legal challenges facing both social media users and tech owners. Aoife discusses how developments since the book’s publication demonstrate how issues around social media and misinformation have only grown, pointing to an uncertain and troubling future for the internet.

    About the Speaker:
    Aoife Barry is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. Her essays and fiction have been published by Banshee journal, ThiWurd, and Visual Verse, and broadcast on RTÉ’s Sunday Miscellany. Her bylines include The Sunday Times, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, the Business Post, The Journal and the Irish Examiner. Aoife features regularly on RTÉ and Today FM and has received Agility Award Funding from the Arts Council for a novel in progress and was selected by the Irish Writers Centre for its Evolution Programme 2023.

  • In this IIEA panel, three experts discusses the conflict in Gaza and its broader implications for the regional stability of the Greater Middle East. As the conflict continues, regional actors in the Arab Gulf and the Levant, have stepped up their activities threatening a widening of the conflict beyond the present battlespace. Meanwhile, global powers have increased their own military activities in the region. Throughout the discussion, this panel explores what the conflict means not only for the Middle East, but also for global politics.

    Speakers in this panel include

    Rita Sakr, Assistant Professor at Maynooth University
    Raphael S. Cohen, Director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program at RAND’s Project AIR FORCE
    Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace