IIEA Talks

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 reso...

The EU has recently been placing greater weight on economic security as a distinct policy objective. How does this differ from past attempts to increase resilience and prevent crises? There is also a widespread view that increasing economic security should take the form of “de-risking” that preserves trade integrations as much as possible. But how do we determine exactly what needs de-risking? Thi...

According to Denis Staunton, a troubled economy at home and rising trade tensions abroad has seen China drop its aggressive Wolf Warrior diplomacy in favour of dialogue with the United States and a charm offensive towards the European Union. But can Beijing rescue the domestic economy from deflationary pressures without provoking a trade war over the export of goods such as electric vehicles and o...

This discussion at the IIEA touches on issues such as the ongoing update of the national energy and climate plans (NECPs), the Commission’s analysis and recommendation for the EU’s 2040 emissions reduction target, published on 6 February, and the first-ever European Climate Risk Assessment published on 11 March. The event takes place as part of the European Commission’s ‘roadshow’ about the future...

In this address to the IIEA, Nicolai von Ondarza, Head of the EU/Europe Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Pervenche Berès, Board Member of Fondation Jean Jaurès, and former Member of the European Parliament for France (1994-2019), discusses the recently published Report of the Franco-German Working Group on EU Institutional Reform. The Repo...

Professor Larry M. Bartels discusses his new book Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens and the Challenge of Populism in Europe. Professor Bartels challenges the narrative of a populist “wave” in contemporary European public opinion. He argues that electoral support for right-wing populist parties has increased only modestly, driven by populist entrepreneurs, the failures of mainstream...

In her address, Renate Schroeder, Director of the European Federation of Journalists, discusses developments in media freedom and pluralism over Europe in recent years, including some examples of unprecedented attacks against media freedom and pluralism that threaten democracy. She assesses the lessons that can be learnt by the media sector, civil society, policymakers, and other stakeholders in t...

According to Dr Dunkelberg, the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been premised from the perspective of Israel as the established state and Palestine as the non-state entity. In this keynote, he discusses a different possible reading of international legal history. A reading which revisits the traditional histories of Mandatory Palestine and the creation of a Palestinian State i...

According to Casey Michel, for years, Western foreign lobbyists have worked as foot-soldiers for the most authoritarian regimes around the planet. In the U.S. alone, the foreign lobbying industry is now worth billions of dollars. And it's no longer just PR shops or traditional lobbying shops. Instead, the industry now encompasses former officials, consultancies, law firms, think tanks, and even un...

'The multiple implications of population decline and aging' Claus Vistesen, Chief Eurozone Economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to make digital markets fairer and more contestable, and to provide new opportunities for startups and investors in the EU. Eoghan O’Neill, Senior Policy Officer in the Platforms Policy and Enforcement Directorate of the European Commission presents the new DMA obligations for the world’s largest digital platforms. He outlines how these obligations may translate...

Ireland has over recent years become an increasingly important international financial centre. Trillions of euros of assets from overseas are either administered or domiciled in Ireland, often using complex financial structures involving multiple jurisdictions. Yet while successive Irish governments have been keen to reap the benefits of this ever more prominent role in the global financial system...

On 13 January 2024, Taiwanese voters went to the polls and elected Lai Ching-Te of the Democratic Progressive Party. Amongst the key points of contention in this election was Taiwan’s future relations with China and how to navigate an increasingly contested geopolitical environment. This expert panel reflects on Taiwan’s election and explores the potential implications its result may have for Taiw...

Traditionally, in the UK, women have been more likely than men to vote Conservative, whilst men have been more likely than women to vote Labour. Yet in recent general elections, this gender gap in voting behaviour has reversed, with women now leaning to the left of men in their vote choice. As the gender gap has shifted, parties have increasingly recognised the importance of women voters and have...

The 1949 Statute of the Council of Europe requires Member States to accept the principles of the rule of law and of the enjoyment by all persons within its jurisdiction of human rights and fundamental freedoms, on pain, in cases of serious violations, of expulsion. One of the principal means for achieving greater unity and safeguarding the signatory States’ common heritage was and is the European...

'War in Europe: how threatened are Russia’s neighbours?' With full-scale war in Europe now into its third year, the continent’s security environment has been transformed since February 24, 2022. This is most obviously the case for the primary victim of Russia’s aggression – Ukraine – but also for many of its near neighbours. In this edition of IIEA Insights, how the Russian threat is perceived is...

The European Union is often depicted as a cradle of judicial activism and a polity built by courts. In a keynote address based on his award-winning book, The Ghostwriters, Dr Tommaso Pavone shows how this judge-centric narrative conceals a crucial arena for political action. He argues that, beneath the radar, European integration unfolded as a struggle between judges who resisted European law and...

In his address to the IIEA, F. Gregory Gause III discusses how while the Gaza War has its own unique history and immediate causes, it is also representative of a broader crisis in the Middle East. This crisis has its roots in the weakening of state authority in the Arab world. He also discusses how state collapse has empowered non-state actors to challenge state authority and struggle with their d...

In this IIEA event, which has been organised to mark International Women's Day, an expert panel shares their perspectives on the recently agreed EU Directive to combat Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The panel discusses the various measures contained within the Directive and assesses whether the Directive goes far enough in placing enough onus on EU Member States to tackle violence a...

Professor Anu Bradford discuss her new book, Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology, which analyses the struggle between the US, China, and the EU in shaping the realm of digital technologies and in influencing digital policy regulation worldwide. Professor Bradford assesses how this contest interacts with the concentration of economic and political power within a small number o...

In his remarks to the IIEA, Dr Declan Downey discusses how since the promulgation of its Constitution in 1947, Japan has forsworn war and the use of nuclear weapons, maintained military neutrality, and pursued a pacifist foreign policy. Yet, it has not adopted ‘the ostrich pose’ regarding recent and emerging challenges to international stability. Over the past decade, successive governments have a...

Great Yarmouth in Norfolk is probably a town you have never heard of, but it has a large population of EU migrant workers who came to the UK before Brexit to work in chicken factories and on farms. We wanted to know about their lives especially their working conditions. The working conditions were not good, and harassment and bullying were common. We were interested to know what they did about thi...

In his address to the IIEA, the Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs discusses the impacts of the upcoming enlargement(s) on the functioning of the EU and how the EU must reform itself in order to prepare for such enlargement(s). Secretary of State Antunes focuses on the challenges and opportunities of an enlarged EU, with a particular emphasis on the timing, the scope, the content a...

Paschal Donohoe TD, President of the Eurogroup and Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform of Ireland,participates in a fireside chat with Daire Lawler, IIEA Senior Economics Researcher and Chair of the YPN, and a question-and-answer session with members. In his capacity as President of the Eurogroup, the grouping of euro area finance ministers, Minister Dono...

International tensions, proliferating security threats and talk of global conflict have become more common in recent years after decades of relative stability following the end of the Cold War. The rise of a more assertive China and intensifying cyber security threats are among two of the issues Nigel Inkster, formerly of MI6, has highlighted in his recent writings. In his presentation to the IIEA...