IIEA Talks

The Global Impact of US Economic Policies The international economic policies of the United States have shifted dramatically since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president at the end of January. Thus far, the most impactful have been a series of historically large tariff announcements on most countries in the world. Former US Treasury Economist, Brad Setser examines these policy changes and their implications for the US economy, global trade and investment flows, financial markets, and the role of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. He also discusses his work on US corporate tax strategies. Brad Setser is the Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr Setser served as a Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative from 2021 to 2022, where he worked on the resolution of a number of trade disputes. He had previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Economic Analysis in the U.S. Treasury from 2011 to 2015, and as a Director for International Economics on the staff of the National Economic Council and the National Security Council. He has published widely, including co-authoring, with Nouriel Roubini, Bailouts and Bail-ins: Responding to Financial Crises in Emerging Economies, and has contributed to publications such as Foreign Affairs, Finance and Development and Global Governance. He regularly blogs at Follow the Money.

Enhancing peace and security cooperation is a key pillar of the EU-Africa partnership, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. In the second address of the 2025 Development Matters lecture series, which is kindly supported by Irish Aid, Mr Johan Borgstam, EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, presents his assessment of the situation in the region based on his recent visits and focus on the EU's engagement in support of peace, stability, and security in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr Borgstam is a Swedish diplomat with extensive national and EU experience, which includes serving as the Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia and ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Greece. He was appointed the EUSR for the Great Lakes Region on 1 September 2024. In this role, he supports the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs in implementing the EU’s foreign policy objectives in the Great Lakes Region. His mission is to contribute to building a stronger, more comprehensive, and more strategic partnership with the countries in the region, maintaining close contact with key regional organisations and fora, such as the African Union and the East African Community, as well as the United Nations, the International Financial Institutions, and non-state actors when relevant. It is the second lecture of the 2025 Development Matters series, which is kindly sponsored by Irish Aid.

Europe finds itself in a new geopolitical reality. While Russia's continues its war of aggression against Ukraine and threatens to advance on Europe's Eastern Flank, the transatlantic relationship is undergoing a period of change. Since the United States signalled that Europe will need to do more for its own defence, European capitals have been attempting to recalibrate to a new reality where there is less certainty of US commitment to the security of Europe. In her remarks to the IIEA, Judy Dempsey discusses the challenges which Europe faces in this new geopolitical moment, and whether we will be able to adapt to meet this new reality. About the speaker: Judy Dempsey is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. She was the editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog from 2012 to 2024. Dempsey is also the author of the book The Merkel Phenomenon. She worked for the International Herald Tribune from 2004 to 2011 as its Germany and East European Correspondent and from 2011 to September 2013 as columnist. Dempsey was the diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times in Brussels from 2001 onward, covering NATO and European Union enlargement. Between 1990 and 2001, she served as Jerusalem bureau chief, Berlin correspondent, and Eastern European correspondent in London (1990–1992) for the Financial Times. During the 1980s, Dempsey reported on Central and Eastern Europe for the Financial Times, the Irish Times, and the Economist.

Trump, Tariffs, and The Future of Transatlantic Trade The US is scheduled to announce another round of wide-ranging tariffs, including on the EU, on Wednesday, 2 April. This edition of IIEA Insights takes place the following day and assesses the measures and their likely impact on Ireland, the EU, and the transatlantic economy. Panellists also discuss the sectoral impact of the announced tariffs and what retaliatory measures the EU and others have already taken or might take in the following days and weeks. Joining the discussion are: Tom McDonnell, Co-Director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute; Allie Renison, an Associate Director at consultancy firm SEC Newgate UK; and Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist at the European Policy Centre.

In his address to the IIEA, Mike Nesbitt, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, explores how the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, saw an all-time peak of hope for the future of the people of Northern Ireland and, by association, Northern Ireland’s neighbours in the Republic of Ireland and in Great Britain. According to Mr Nesbitt, it is one thing to obsess over how that hope has waned, or who is responsible; it is another to deliver a vision to restore that hope. In his address, Mr Nesbitt will posit why he believes delivering a Prosperity Agenda has become a common cause for all of Northern Ireland's political parties, whatever their constitutional preference. Mr Nesbitt discusses how tackling health inequalities in his role as Minister for Health is part of the Prosperity Agenda, and how such health inequalities are, in fact, social inequalities, requiring a whole Executive response. Mr Nesbitt explains how he is leading with a clear target of lowering the disparities in healthy living predictions, as the most deprived areas of Belfast show a 14.2-year gap in life expectancy when compared to those in areas of least deprivation, a figure that Mr Nesbitt is determined to change. About the speaker: Mike Nesbitt is the Minister of Health in the Northern Ireland Executive. He is also the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, the only person to be elected to the position on two occasions, in 2012 and 2024. Mr Nesbitt is a four-time Member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly for Strangford constituency. Previously, he was a broadcast journalist covering Northern Ireland’s Troubles and the consequent peace process. He was then appointed as a Commissioner for Victims & Survivors of the conflict before entering politics.

Full presentation Title: Constitutional Change and the Rise of Fiscal Discipline in Europe: Ripple Effects on Fundamental Social Rights In March 2025, the ReArm Europe plan brought EU fiscal discipline and rules back into the spotlight of EU policymaking. In her address to the IIEA, Dr Kotsoni explores how, following the eurozone crisis, several EU Member States adopted constitutional fiscal rules – both formally and, as she will argue, informally. In her presentation, Dr Kotsoni examines how the constitutionalisation of fiscal rules has had lasting effects beyond the eurozone crisis and reflects upon its ongoing limiting impact on fundamental social rights in Europe. About the Speaker: Dr Maria Kotsoni is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Princeton University. Her research focuses on the protection of social rights at constitutional, European, and international levels. Maria obtained her PhD from the European University Institute and is a consultant to the Council of Europe’s Department of Social Rights.

Ten years after the historic climate agreement reached at COP21 in Paris, considerable progress has been made in areas ranging from energy efficiency and renewables deployment to electric vehicles and heat pumps. However, this progress is well below that required to deliver on the goals in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and investment in clean energy remains uneven. As political headwinds increase, Brian Motherway considers what the past decade has taught us in terms of global engagement on climate and clean energy, and what we have learned in terms of engaging citizens and societies in the vital project of clean energy transitions. This event is part of the IIEA’s REthink Energy series, organised in partnership with ESB, Ireland’s state-owned electricity company. Speaker bio: Brian Motherway is Head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency. He oversees analytical and outreach programmes supporting energy efficiency globally. He also leads IEA’s work with governments on people-centred policymaking, addressing issues such as skills, inclusion and fairness in clean energy policies. Prior to joining the IEA, Brian was Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

Current tectonic changes in Europe’s security environment have opened the way for rethinking the EU enlargement process. Western Balkan countries are an immediate neighbour to the EU and their stability is of strategic importance. As their closest EU partner, Croatia strongly advocates for the European path of the Western Balkans countries and is committed to finding solutions to challenges in the accession processes. In this address as part of the IIEA's Future-Proofing Europe project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister Grlić Radman will tackle some of the focal challenges and questions on EU enlargement, as well as opportunities and possible ways forward. Speaker bio: Gordan Grlić Radman is the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, a post he has held since July 2019. Additionally, Minister Radman is also the President of the Danube Commission. Prior to his current position, he was Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Federal Republic of Germany from 2017 until 2019 and to Hungary from 2012 until 2017. He has also held a number of high-level roles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of the Central European Department and Secretary General. Minister Radman holds a PhD from the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb.

In her address to the IIEA, Constanze Stelzenmüller explores Europe’s strategic outlook as it faces mounting geopolitical challenges. As Russia’s war against Ukraine persists with ongoing support from China, the United States has entered a new political chapter following its recent presidential election. Meanwhile, authoritarian powers are asserting themselves on the global stage, challenging the rules-based international order. Against this backdrop, Europe must confront difficult questions about its security, prosperity, and strategic autonomy. Dr Stelzenmüller explores what role Europe can play in shaping the future global order, and what the implications are for Ireland and the wider European Union. About the speaker: Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller is the Director of the Center on the United States and Europe and the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. A German citizen herself, she is an expert on German, European, and Trans-Atlantic foreign and security policy, as well as international law and human rights. From 2019-2020, Dr. Stelzenmüller held the Kissinger Chair on Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress, and from 2014-2019 served as the inaugural Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Prior to joining Brookings, she directed the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and later served as Senior Transatlantic Fellow with the organisation, heading the Transatlantic Trends Programme. Dr. Stelzenmüller’s work in the think tank sphere follows a distinguished career in journalism, including the role of Defence and International Security Editor in the political section of DIE ZEIT from 1994-2005. She has contributed to a variety of publications, writes a monthly column for the Financial Times, and is a frequent commentator on American and European news outlets.

In this talk, Professor Stephen Millard discusses the outlook for the UK economy in light of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and accompanying Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast. He compares the current NIESR view as to the outlook for GDP, inflation and the labour market with the OBR’s forecast and the forecast from the Bank of England’s February Monetary Policy Report. In his remarks, Professor Millard also draws out the implications for monetary and fiscal policy moving forward. About the Speaker: Professor Stephen Millard is the Interim Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) in the UK and is currently part of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Prior to joining NIESR, Stephen worked for 26 and a half years at the Bank of England. During this time, he worked in a variety of policy, research and managerial roles across the Bank's Monetary Analysis and Financial Infrastructure Directorates. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Durham University Business School and the University of Portsmouth. He holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.