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.
An interview with Pat Cox, part of the IIEA's Future Proofing Europe project
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.
'Managing Europe’s under-performing economy' Lucinda Creighton and Conall Mac Coille in conversation with Dan O'Brien
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
In Minister Adlercreutz’s view, the long-term success of Europe is being decided now, and Europe must act now. Against the backdrop of a more challenging world, the European elections are fast approaching. As part of the Future-Proofing Europe project, Minister Adlercreutz’s address outlines how Finland seeks to meet these challenges as well as the country’s key priorities: strategic competitiveness, comprehensive security, and promoting a clean ecological transition. About the Speaker: Anders Adlercreutz has been the Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering of Finland since June 2023. Minister Adlercreutz represents Finland in the EU General Affairs Council and is responsible for the country's Ownership Steering Policy for state-owned companies. First elected to Parliament in 2015, he served as Chair of the Swedish Parliamentary Group from 2019 until 2023. Minister Adlercreutz is an architect by profession and is a partner in an architecture firm in Helsinki.
In his address to the IIEA, Professor Treisman discusses his recent book Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. He discusses how a new type of authoritarian regime has emerged which is better adapted to ruling sophisticated, globally-connected societies. These authoritarian regimes rely less on violent repression and instead rely more heavily on the manipulation of information. Professor Treisman discusses how strongman leaders use spin and information manipulation to cement their rule – and also explains why they sometimes revert to harsher methods. About the Speaker: Daniel Treisman is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, Acting Director of the UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies, and Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a former editor of The American Political Science Review and he has been a consultant for the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and USAID. His latest book, co-authored with Sergei Guriev, is Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. The book was listed as one of the “Best Books of 2022” (The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs), “Best Political Books of 2022” (Financial Times), and “Books That Made Us Think in 2022” (The Atlantic, Moment).
The fiscal theory of the price level states that inflation results from more government debt than people believe will be repaid. In his remarks to the IIEA, Dr Cochrane explains the idea, and uses it to understand the surge of inflation in 2021-2022, why that inflation went away without restrictive monetary policy and a recession, the strange quiet of the zero bound era, and the rise and fall during the 1970s and 1980s. Dr Cochrane also discusses his new book, The Fiscal Theory of Price Level. About the Speaker: John H. Cochrane is the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His publications include the book The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level and Asset Pricing. He has written articles on monetary policy, inflation, asset markets, macroeconomics, health insurance, time-series econometrics, financial regulation, and other topics. He writes Op-eds in the Wall Street Journal, blogs as “the Grumpy Economist”, and is part of the Hoover Goodfellows podcast with H.R. McMaster and Niall Ferguson.
In this address to the IIEA, Lutz Güllner, Head of Division for Strategic Communications and Information Analysis at the European External Action Service, discusses the issue of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and their implications for the EU’s democratic resilience. Mr Güllner also focuses on the ways in which the EU is responding to foreign disinformation and provides his expert opinion on the further steps the EU could take in this domain. About the Speaker: Lutz Güllner is Head of Division for Strategic Communications and Information Analysis in the European External Action Service. As part of his work, he focuses on how to address disinformation threats and foreign manipulative interference targeting the EU and for the EU's neighbourhood region. Prior to his current position he served as Head of the EEAS's foreign and security policy communication team (2017-2019) and as Head of the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade's communication team (2013-17). He was also Deputy Head of the Trade Strategy Unit and responsible for the coordination of EU-US trade and economic relations.
'Is Ireland getting it right on Gaza?' Eoin O'Malley and Dr Michael O'Sullivan, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist
In her address to the IIEA, Nadia Calviño, who was appointed as President of the EIB on 1 January 2024, outlines her priorities for her term as EIB President. President Calviño discusses how the EIB and Ireland have been working together to invest in a sustainable future for all and outlines her vision for how Ireland and the EIB can develop closer cooperation in the coming decade. About the Speaker: Nadia Calviño is a Spanish economist and lawyer with a career spanning over 30 years in public policy, economics and finance. Ms Calviño served as First Vice-President of Spain and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise until December 2023. Prior to that role, she held various positions, including Second Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalization (March-July 2021), Third Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalization (2020-2021) and Minister for Economy and Business (2018-2020). Additionally, she chaired the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2022 to 2023.
In this IIEA panel event, three expert speakers discuss the present state of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. The panel reflects upon how, as the global security environment continues to deteriorate, Security Council Resolution 1325 and its emphasis of on the specific challenges which conflict poses to women in conflict settings has grown only more important. Moreover, the panel explores the role of women in conflict resolution, their role in UN peacekeeping, and conflict prevention. Speakers in this panel include: Major-General (Ret.) Maureen O’Brien, Former Deputy Military Advisor in the United Nations Office of Military Affairs, Department of Peace Operations; Dr Sally-Anne Corcoran served with UN for nearly two decades. An Irish Research Council Scholar, she received her PhD in Law from the University of Galway in 2022. She is an international expert and advisor on Gender and Human Rights; Sophie McGuirk, Peace and Stability Unit at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
'Britain, Ireland and Europe: where we are and where we’re going' The United Kingdom’s relations with its neighbour have been in some flux since British voters voted to leave the European Union in 2016. The protracted upheaval of Brexit strained relations with both Ireland and the EU, and a new, fully stable equilibrium has yet to emerge. Sir Ivan Rogers - advisor to two British prime ministers, among numerous other roles - will discuss the current and future state of the UK’s relations with its neighbours and how relations might change after the upcoming British general election. He will also assess the security implications for Britain and Europe of Russia’s war with Ukraine. About the Speaker Sir Ivan Rogers has spent most of his career to date in the British civil servant and foreign corps. He has advised two British Prime Ministers (Tony Blair and David Cameron), one Chancellor of the Exchequer (Ken Clark), and served as Chief of Staff in Brussels to a European Commissioner (Leon Brittan). He has also held senior positions in the private sector. Since resigning as the UK’s Permanent Representative to the EU in 2017, he has been one of the leading public analysts of Brexit and related matters.
In her address to the IIEA, Dr Sabine Weyand presents how geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges are affecting international trade, and their implications for the EU’s trade policy. Furthermore, Dr Weyand assesses the role that trade plays in strengthening competitiveness of EU businesses and advancing the EU’s economic security interests, while supporting the EU’s green transition. This event is part of the Future Proofing Europe project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs. About the Speaker: Dr Sabine Weyand is Director-General for Trade at the European Commission. Prior to her current role, Dr Weyand was Deputy Chief Negotiator of the Commission Task Force for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom under Article 50 of the TEU from October 2016 to May 2019. She was Director in the Secretariat-General of the Commission in charge of policy coordination on economic, social and environmental policies before joining DG Trade in 2016 as Deputy Director-General covering multilateral trade policy, trade relations with North America and European neighbourhood countries, as well as trade defence. She holds degrees from Freiburg University and the College of Europe and a PhD from Tübingen University.
As the United States faces into a number of consequential elections including the Presidential Election in 2024, along with elections to Congress as well as several gubernatorial elections, the shape of the political landscape in the United States both during the election campaigns and after the political dust has settled will be highly significant for the future of the country’s democracy. In her address to the IIEA, Vanessa Williamson, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, assesses the possible consequences of the 2024 elections for the resilience of the institutions which underpin the US’ democracy. About the Speaker: Vanessa Williamson is a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, and a Senior Fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. She studies taxation, redistribution, democracy, and political participation. She is the author, with Theda Skocpol, of The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism.
In her speech, Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, State Secretary for Europe in the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, focuses on Croatia’s perspective on the forthcoming EU enlargement process, the institutional changes required to prepare the EU for enlargement, and the range of reforms to be implemented by the Western Balkan countries before accession, including the resolution of historical disputes. She also addresses the proposal of a so-called confidence clause for the region in the accession treaties, which would prevent a newly joined Member State from blocking the accession of another candidate country. Finally, she provides an assessment, ten years on, of how both Croatia and the EU have benefitted from the 2013 enlargement. About the Speaker: Andreja Metelko-Zgombić is the State Secretary for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and holds a law degree. Prior to assuming this position in 2017, she held several prominent posts at the Ministry, including Chief Legal Adviser and Assistant Minister for European Law, International Law and Consular Affairs. Metelko-Zgombić is also the Senior Representative of the Republic of Croatia on the Standing Joint Committee on Succession Issues and the President of the Commission of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for Borders.