IIEA Talks

In her address to the IIEA, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader of the Belarusian Democratic Movement, discusses the current threats to the future of Belarus and Europe, including human rights violations, the impact of economic sanctions against Belarus, and Lukashenka's acceptance of a plan to place Russian nuclear arms in Belarus. In March of 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human R...

The second instalment of the IIEA’s Ireland and the European Health Union discussion series, supported by Janssen Sciences Ireland, features contributions by expert speakers who will discuss the role that the EU can play in improving care for patients with rare diseases in Ireland and across the EU. Many of the 6,000 to 8,000 different rare diseases are life threatening and are often lacking in ac...

Medical facilities have been increasingly targeted in conflict settings to inflict terror on civilian populations as well as maximise disruption to critical lifesaving services. Though protected under international law, medical facilities around the world in places such as Syria and Ukraine continue to be attacked. In their remarks, Waad Al-Kateab and Dr Hamza al-Kateab discuss how their Stop Bomb...

As Xi Jinping's third term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party gets under way in earnest after a series of top-level appointments in March, China faces formidable challenges at home and abroad. After three years of COVID restrictions, parts of the economy are rebounding but important sectors including real estate are troubled and foreign investors have been unnerved by a crackdown...

The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles was signed in December 2022. In his address, Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Policy, Strategy and Outreach in DG CONNECT in the European Commission, outlines the Declaration’s underpinning vision of a human-centred, secure, and sustainable digital transformation, in which no one is left behind. Mr Kleiner also explains how the Declaration may...

Greyzone aggression refers to acts of aggression which are below the threshold of armed military violence causing harm to another country. Often these means are even legal. That makes defence against greyzone aggression an enormous challenge for the targeted countries, and that also means the armed forces are not best placed to drive the defence. In her remarks, Elisabeth Braw argues that defence...

According to General Brieger, the response to the Russian criminal posture by EU Member States has been massive and unanimous, cemented ties, and strengthened the credibility of the EU security and defence agenda.   In the first year since its signing, the EU has made significant progress in all 4 interlinked areas of the Strategic Compass: ACT, SECURE, INVEST and PARTNER. Each chapter, strictly i...

At the IIEA’s first in-person student event, ‘Fresh Perspectives: A guide to your career in public service and international affairs’, a panel of young people from diplomacy and public service reflect on their experiences in middle management leadership roles. The panellists offer practical perspectives on how to forge and sustain a career in public life and will also discuss how changes in the ge...

According to Pat Cox, the war in Ukraine is set to intensify in the coming months. Its duration and outcome are indeterminate. Neither the Russian aggressor nor the Ukrainian defender is yet prepared to take any decisive step towards a cessation of hostilities. For both sides, establishing a premature peace would carry significant risks. Making peace would be infused with politically sensitive com...

At the first IIEA Young Professionals Network (YPN) event of 2023, the IIEA will welcome Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland. According to a poll by The Sunday Times in November 2022, 50% of young people in the Republic of Ireland between the ages of 18 to 34 feel that they “do not fully understand the history of the Troubles”. To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the sign...

On 20 March 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq. Both as part of the Global War on Terror and with the intention to bring freedom and democracy to a country led by Saddam Hussein, the invasion quickly caused Iraq to fall into disarray, and ultimately into civil war. Since the invasion by coalition forces, the country has not only struggled with increased interference by Iran, but has also seen t...

'Corporate subsidies, competition policy and the future of the EU’s single market' Stephanie Rickard, Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist

On Monday, 27 February 2023, the UK Government and the European Commission announced the new Windsor Framework, which aims to facilitate trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain while maintaining the region’s access to the European single market, a situation which, according to the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, could make Northern Ireland “the world’s most exciting economic zone.” The Wi...

The newly agreed Windsor Framework has the potential to open a new chapter of UK/EU relations. In his address to the IIEA, Dr Andrew McCormick discusses the implications of the new agreement for Northern Ireland. About the Speaker Dr Andrew McCormick is the former Director General of International Relations for the Northern Ireland Executive.  He was the NI Executive’s lead official on Brexit, and...

Full title 'In search of state: what Scottish independence would mean for Scotland and its neighbours' In the latest episode of IIEA Insights, IIEA Chief Economist, Dan O’Brien, sits down with Stewart McDonald, Scottish National Party MP for Glasgow South, to discuss the potential implications of Scottish independence and what it would mean for Scottish foreign and defence policy

The 2023 International Women’s Day theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. In her address to the IIEA, Tara Sepehri Far outlines how women in Iran have employed digital activism to amplify their voices in the face of oppression. Social media and the internet have proven to be extremely powerful tools for the women of Iran who, despite being subject to significant censorsh...

In September 2022 the EU opened its new office in San Francisco, California, headed by Gerard de Graaf, the new Senior Envoy for Digital to the U.S. and Silicon Valley. In his address to the IIEA, Mr de Graaf discusses the importance of digital policy diplomacy and how the EU can engage with the U.S. and with leading digital technology companies in order to identify and address common challenges....

In this questions and answers session at the IIEA, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană discusses how the Alliance has responded to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, what the conflict means for NATO and how the war has fundamentally affected the international order. About the Speaker: Mircea Geoană became NATO Deputy Secretary General in October 2019, after a distinguished domestic a...

In his address, Evgeny Afineevsky discusses his documentary Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom which covers Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and Ukrainian efforts to defend their country. The companion piece to Afineevsky’s Academy Award nominated documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, his latest work takes a sweeping look at a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine usin...

The EU is facing unprecedented challenges to the rule of law and democratic legitimacy from both inside and outside of the Union. In this first event in a series of three webinars co-organised by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland and the IIEA, a panel of expert speakers considers how to build democratic resilience in the European Union in the face of internal and external threats....

In December 2021, the ‘Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy’, Ireland’s first national circular economy strategy, was published. It is clear that we are at a turning point in this transition however, with Ireland consistently underperforming in circularity material use rate, and there is significant progress yet to be made. In his address to the IIEA, Mr Iain Gulland outlines the circular...

In the latest podcast episode of IIEA Insights, IIEA Chief Economist Dan O'Brien, sits down with Alicia García-Herrero, Hong Kong-based Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis Bank and Brad Sester, Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and former US Treasury Economist, to discuss the range of factors driving a global trend towards greater government intervention in economies, parti...

The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at a pivotal time for the future of the Union, especially in the context of seismic upheavals like the war in Ukraine and global challenges to the competitiveness of the single market from China and the United States. State Secretary Danielsson discusses the Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU, their experience to date and i...

Kate Raworth, an ecological economist, and co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab delivers a keynote address. This event is part of the Environmental Resilience Series, supported by the EPA. Kate Raworth is an ecological economist and creator of the Doughnut-a concept that aims to meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet-and co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action La...

'The European economy in 2023: resilience or recession?' In this latest podcast episode of IIEA Insights, Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist at the IIEA sits down with Stefan Gerlach, Chief Economist at EFG Bank Zurich, to discuss trends in Europe’s economy, slowing inflation, labour market trends in Ireland and on the continent. They delve into the bigger questions about the future of Europe’s economy,...