IIEA Events Feed

China and the Global Order

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

About the Speech:

In his address to the IIEA, Professor Godement will discuss the re-emergence of China, and its increasingly prominent role on the global stage. He will examine what he sees as China's interest-driven view of the global order, and explore the implications of this trend for the European Union, particularly in light of the “America First” policy position of President Trump and his administration.

About the Speaker:

François Godement is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia and China Programme at ECFR. He is a Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po in Paris, as well as a Research Associate at Asia Centre, which he founded in 2005. He is the editor of China Analysis, a quarterly analytical survey of Chinese news and debate published by Asia Centre and ECFR. He is a Non-Resident Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. and an outside consultant for the Policy Planning Directorate of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Contest for the 21st Century and the Future of American Power in the Era of Trump and Putin

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

About the Speech:

In his keynote address, Mr Wright will draw on his new book, entitled All Measures Short of War: The Contest for the 21st Century and the Future of American Power, in which he claims that great power competition has returned following two decades of unprecedented cooperation between the major global players. He argues that the great powers all seek to avoid a major war with each other but will compete with all measures short of that, including cyber war, economic war, proxy war, and coercive diplomacy.

About the Speaker:

Thomas Wright is the Director of the Centre on the United States and Europe and a Senior Fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. He is also a Non-resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Previously, he was executive Director of Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, and Senior Researcher for the Princeton Project on National Security.

The Irish National Cyber Security Centre: Securing Ireland’s digital future

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

Please note, due to other commitments Minister Naughten is unavailable to address the Institute as originally advertised.

About the Speech:

The Irish National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was formally established in 2015. Together with the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), the NCSC has responsibility for Ireland’s national cyber security defences. The global cybersecurity threat landscape continues to pose an immense challenge. Notable attacks in 2017 have included the ransomware virus, WannaCry, and the malware virus, Petya.

As part of wider efforts to address these security threats, the Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS Directive) was approved in July 2016. Member States have until May 2018 to implement the NIS Directive, with both the NCSC and CSIRT playing a critical role in this regard.

Seán Kyne will discuss the NCSC’s latest progress in this context, and will offer his thoughts on the nature of the digital security threat to the public and private sector alike.

About the Speaker:

Seán Kyne is Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources & Digital Development.

Shared Mobility as a key instrument for better Quality of Urban Life

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

About the Speech:

In his keynote address, Mr. Viegas will discuss the main mobility-related problems affecting quality of urban life and propose a new approach to address these challenges, taking advantage of the possibilities opened by digital connectivity. He will show how ride sharing can play a key role in addressing congestion, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, parking, car use and car ownership. He will focus in particular on lessons learned on the International Transport Forum simulations that have been run in Lisbon in which buses and cars were replaced by different types of shared vehicles. Finally, he will discuss the potential application of ride sharing in Dublin.

About this speaker:

José Viegas has been Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum at the OECD since August 2012. A Portuguese national, Mr. Viegas has had a distinguished career in academia and in the private sector before joining the ITF. A full Professor of Transport at the Technical University of Lisbon, he served as Director of MIT-Portugal’s Transport Systems focus area. As chairman of TIS.pt consultants, he advised governments and international institutions on key transport projects and policies.

Mr. Viegas holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the Technical University in Lisbon and undertook postgraduate studies in regional Studies at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. He speaks fluent Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian. In September 2015, Mr Viegas was appointed as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Group on sustainable Transport, which published its report in October 2015.

Brexit – a view from the City of London

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

About the Speech:

As a financial services capitol London has benefitted greatly from the UK’s EU membership. However, after the UK leaves the EU in 2019 its financial services sector could lose access to the EU Single Market in services. In his address to the IIEA Jeremy Browne will set out the views of the City of London Corporation on the post-Brexit future of London’s financial services sector.

About the Speaker:

Jeremy Browne is the Special Representative for the City of London to the EU. Mr Browne was the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton Deane from 2005 to 2015.

Urbanisation: A Tool for Development

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

Podcast: Download the keynote audio podcast from this event here.

About the Speech:

The recognition of the transformative power of urbanisation as an engine for sustainable development is a historical paradigm shift initiated by Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Dr Clos argued that cities provide a unique opportunity to effectively address many of our problems today: social inequality, economic development, climate change and resilience to natural and man-made disasters. At this critical junction in our global history, innovative solutions are required to meet the most pressing challenges faced by our cities. The New Urban Agenda is an action-oriented plan which sets global standards for sustainable urban development, rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities, contributing to prosperity, employments and development.

This event was the opening address of the 2017 Development Matters lecture series, which the IIEA is co-hosting with Irish Aid.

About the Speaker:

Born in Barcelona, Dr Joan Clos is a medical doctor with a distinguished career in public service and diplomacy. He was twice elected Mayor of Barcelona during the years 1997-2006. He was also the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade of Spain from 2006-2008. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2010 as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, he served as Spanish ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan. He served also as the Secretary-General of the Third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, Habitat III, in Quito, Ecuador.

Image UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Greater Security for Europeans through Closer Cooperation on EU Security and Defence

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

Podcast: Download the keynote audio podcast from this event here.

Transcript: View the transcript from this event here.

About the Speech:

In his address, Minister Soini discussed the importance of enhanced cooperation in the area of security and defence, and what this means for the future of the EU 27. The Minister’s speech follows the publication of the European Commission’s recent White Paper and subsequent reflection paper on security and defence policy. These papers are designed to stimulate debate in the Member States on the future of the EU 27. Minister Soini’s speech is part of the Institute’s contribution to this process – a series of high level reflections by EU 27 foreign ministers.

About the Speaker:

Minister Soini has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since May 2015. He co-founded the True Finns party in 1995 and led the party from 1997 to 2017. He was first elected to the Finnish Parliament in 2003. He served as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Finnish Parliament between 2011 and 2015. Between 2009 and 2011 he was a Member of the European Parliament.

What Next for Britain and Europe?

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 10:30:00 GMT

Podcast: Download the keynote audio podcast from this event here.

About the Speech:

In his address, John Peet discussed the economic outlook for Britain and the European Union, and assessed the implications of the Conservative Party’s performance in the British General Election for the Brexit negotiations. Drawing upon his extensive expertise, he also offered his insights on the future of the EU amid a renewed debate about deepening integration in the euro area.

About the Speaker:

John Peet is Political Editor at The Economist with special responsibility for covering Britain’s relations with the EU. Prior to taking up his current position in 2015, he was Europe Editor from September 2003, responsible for coverage of the EU, Russia, Turkey, the Caucasus and the Balkans. He joined The Economist in 1986 and held a range of posts including Executive Editor, Business Affairs Editor, Britain Correspondent, Washington D.C. Correspondent and Brussels Correspondent. Before starting his long-standing career at The Economist, he was a civil servant at the British Treasury and Foreign Office from 1976 to 1986.

He has written several surveys and special reports for The Economist on subjects including European Monetary Union, the future of Europe, Britain and Europe, Ireland, and global finance. His first book, Unhappy Union: How the Euro Crisis — and Europe — Can Be Fixed, co-written with Anton La Guardia, was published in May 2014.

Constitution 3.0: The Technological and Political Challenges Facing the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 12:45:00 GMT

Podcast: Download the keynote audio podcast from this event here.

About the Speech:

In his keynote address, Prof. Rosen argued that in light of dizzying changes in technology, the future of global free speech and privacy is being determined not by the U.S. Supreme Court or by international courts but by lawyers at Google, Facebook, and Twitter, who decide what kind of content to leave up or take down. He addressed the question of how the U.S. Supreme Court will respond to technological change in the age of Google. He also reflected on how the Court will maintain checks and balances and the rule of law in the face of new populist forces in the U.S. and around the globe.

About the Speaker:

Professor Rosen is the President and CEO of the National Constitution Centre and a Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. He is also a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is a graduate of Harvard College; the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School. Following law school, he clerked for Chief Judge Abner Mikva at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Image National Constitution Center

Brexit: Present and Future - Media Seminar

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 09:30:00 GMT

About the Seminar:

This seminar gathered key politicians, thought leaders and representatives of the media to assess the mechanics of the Brexit negotiations, the complexities of reporting and analysing the Brexit process and the expected outcomes of Brexit and their ramifications for Ireland and the EU.

About the Speakers:

Panel 1 – Negotiating Brexit

The first session featured the following speakers: Catherine Day, Board Member of the IIEA and former Secretary-General of the European Commission; Declan Kelleher, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Conall McDevitt, CEO of Hume Brophy and former SDLP MLA and David Phinnemore, Professor of European Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. The panel was chaired by Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist at the IIEA.

Panel 2 - Reporting Brexit

The second session featured the following speakers: Sebastian Hamilton, Editor of the Irish Daily Mail; Ian Kehoe, Editor of the Sunday Business Post; David Nally, Managing Editor of RTÉ TV Current Affairs programmes; Paul O’Neill, Editor of The Irish Times and Fionnan Sheahan, Editor of The Irish Independent. The panel was chaired by Conor Brady, Board Member of the IIEA, Sunday Times columnist and former Editor of The Irish Times.

Panel 3 – Envisioning Brexit: Ireland, Northern Ireland, the EU and the UK in 2025

The final session featured the following speakers: Matt Carthy Sinn Féin MEP; Stephen Donnelly T.D., Fianna Fáil Brexit spokesperson; Michael McDowell, Independent Senator, former Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Neale Richmond, Fine Gael Senator and Chair of the Seanad Select Committee on Brexit. The panel was chaired by Dearbhail McDonald, Group Business Editor at INM.