IIEA Talks

The single market is at the heart of the EU economy and is the foundation upon which many of the EU’s economic objectives are built. Yet the EU’s efforts to meaningfully deepen, reinvigorate and adapt the Single Market in recent years have, at times, fallen short of those lofty ambitions. Enrico Letta was recently tasked by the European Council with a report on the future of the Single Market, and as part of this work has undertaken fact-finding missions to the Member State capitals. At this IIEA event he will provide insights from his work to-date and provide a perspective on what the future of the Single Market might look like ahead of the publication of his findings in 2024. The event opens with a keynote address by Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy. A panel discussion follows, featuring contributions from Brigid Laffan, Chancellor of the University of Limerick; and Russell Grandinetti, Senior Vice President for International Stores at Amazon, whose business model encompasses the worlds of both physical and digital commerce. The event is chaired by Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist.

In his address to the IIEA, Paul Cunningham talks about his experience of reporting from Israel, which was under rocket attack by Hamas, and from within a few kilometers of Gaza rather than from that conflict zone. He outlines the difficulties this presents in getting to the truth and informing the audiences. In contrast to wars which he covered in Bosnia Hercegovina and Darfur, this war is being played out in real-time on social media platforms which can both inform and confuse. Paul also gives his analysis of the likely course of the conflict and on the Irish government's developing position. About the Speaker: Paul Cunningham is a Political Correspondent for RTÉ News. Previously he was Europe Correspondent, based in Brussels, and Environment Correspondent. Paul has reported from more than 50 countries around the world, including from war zones and natural disasters. A documentary-maker and author, he has won multiple awards for his work. In 2023, he has reported from Ukraine, Israel, and the West Bank. He is married, has 3 children, and lives in Dublin.

The third and final seminar of the IIEA’s inaugural disability programme will celebrate the recent International Day for Persons with Disabilities (3 December) by discussing the theme "United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with and by persons with disabilities". It will hear from Dr James Casey, Independent Living Movement, Ireland, a disabled persons' organisation (DPO) on the barriers and enablers that exist to achieving full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how disabled people can be better supported to contribute to the process. About the Speaker: Dr James Casey currently works for ILMI as a policy advisor. He previously worked on the Onside Project. He holds a PhD in Critical Disability Studies from the University of Galway where he was the recipient of a Doctoral Teaching Fellowship. He is a disabled person and has worked as a lecturer, disability equality consultant and communications worker in addition to his continued role as a peer reviewer with several international journals.

In 2013, William D. Nordhaus, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, published his acclaimed book The Climate Casino. In the book, Professor Nordhaus argued that the world had entered the climate casino and was rolling the global warming dice in the absence of effective policies to tackle climate change. A decade on from the book’s release, and following his important recent research on the 'climate club' and the release of his 2021 book, The Spirit of Green, Professor Nordhaus considers whether the world still has an opportunity to exit the climate casino and implement policies that will reverse the tide of global warming. This lecture forms part of the Environmental Resilience lecture series, which is co-organised by the IIEA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). About the Speaker: William Nordhaus is Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. His major work focuses on the economics of climate change, developing models that integrated the science, economics, and policies necessary to slow warming. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2018 "for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis." From 1977 to 1979, Professor Nordhaus served as a Member of President Carter's Council of Economic Advisers. From 1986 to 1988, he served as the Provost of Yale University and was President of the American Economic Association from 2015 to 2016. Professor Nordhaus completed his undergraduate work at Yale University in 1963 and received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1967 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The next address of the IIEA's Development Matters series, which is supported by Irish Aid, will be given by Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In her speech, entitled Polyglobalisation: Debt, Trade and Geopolitics, she explores the links between development and trade and the place of developing countries in the complex world of international trade. Against the background of geopolitical shifts and competing visions of multilateralism, she explains the important role of UNCTAD in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in amplifying the voices of least developed countries in multilateral fora. She also discusses reform of the international financial architecture which is urgently needed to ensure that the debt crisis does not become a development crisis. About the Speaker: Rebeca Grynspan is an economist and politician from Costa Rica who has been the Secretary General of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since 2021. As the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Ms Grynspan has focused the world’s attention on relevant issues such as the reduction of inequality and poverty, gender equality, South–South cooperation as a tool for development and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the need for international financial architectural reform. She is also coordinator of the task team of the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, set up by the United Nations Secretary-General to help support developed and developing countries face the economic shocks related to the war in Ukraine. Additionally, she is currently a member of the Group of 20 High-level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Prior to her appointment at UNCTAD, she was the Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Conference from 2014 to 2021. She is also a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as former Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the United Nations, she served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.

According to Derek Scally, 2023 was an eventful year in German politics with almost constant infighting between the parties in the incumbent coalition government, the introduction of the country's first National Security Strategy against the backdrop of escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, several important state elections, the rapid rise of the Alternative für Deutschland, the official exit of Sahra Wagenknecht from Die Linke to form a new party, and a bombshell constitutional court ruling that has endangered the coalition’s fiscal and political foundations. In his address to the IIEA, Derek Scally breaks down the major events that took place in Berlin this past year as well as what to expect in 2024. About the Speaker: Derek Scally is a native Dubliner, who studied at Dublin City University and Humboldt University in Berlin. He has been Irish Times correspondent in Berlin since 2001. Covering politics, business and culture, he is a regular contributor to German news outlets, including Die Zeit weekly and Deutschlandfunk/WDR radio. He reports regularly from northern and central Europe and is also author of “The Best Catholics in the World”, published by Penguin.

In this IIEA webinar, hosted live from COP28 in Dubai, Alex White, Director General of the IIEA, and a panel of experts assess the progress of COP28 towards achieving global climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives. With the Summit due to conclude on 12 December, Mr White and the panel assess the state of play of ongoing discussions and negotiations, and if the Summit is likely to be successful in keeping hopes of a 1.5 degrees Celsius limit to global warming alive. About the Speaker: Alex White is the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), and a Senior Counsel at the Irish Bar. He was a TD from 2011 to 2016, during which time he held the positions of Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (2014 – 2016), Minister for Primary Care (2012 – 2014) and Committee Chair of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform (2011 – 2012). Prior to serving as a TD, Alex was a member of Seanad Eireann (2007 – 2011), a councillor with South Dublin County Council (2004 – 2007) and a radio producer with RTÉ (1984 – 1994). He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and of the King’s Inns.

The current trajectory of European policy towards China stands at a crucial juncture. In recent years, China has evolved from a long-term geopolitical challenge to a pivotal factor influencing the competitiveness of the European economy, the security of its citizens, and the EU's ability to fulfill its ambitious climate and digitalization goals. This shift poses a distinctive challenge for Germany, as its dependencies on the Chinese market are more pronounced compared to other EU member states. To address the challenges posed by today's China and establish a forward-looking vision, Berlin unveiled its first-ever China strategy in July 2023. In her address to the IIEA, Dr Janka Oertel, discusses how the implementation of this strategy is now essential at both the national level and as part of a broader European approach to China. About the Speaker: Dr Janka Oertel is director of the Asia programme and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Oertel previously worked as a senior fellow in the Asia programme at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Berlin office, where she focused on transatlantic China policy including on emerging technologies, Chinese foreign policy, and security in east Asia. Dr Oertel has published widely on topics related to EU-China relations, US-China relations, security in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese foreign policy, 5G and emerging technologies, as well as climate cooperation. Her new book The end of Germany’s China Illusion: How We Must Deal with Beijing’s Claim to Power was published in German by Piper in 2023.

As the frequency of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves increase, the impact of climate change is becoming ever more apparent. Climate change will likely continue to threaten energy systems, augmenting the need to accelerate the green transition and position global energy systems to meet the risks posed by a changed climate. In her address to the IIEA, Katherine Hayhoe, author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, discusses how we can fight climate change together through dialogue, talking, and honesty. Her remarks reflect on how using these tools to build consensus may provide a pathway towards tackling the mounting challenges which climate change poses to the world. This event is part of the IIEA’s ReThink Energy lecture series which is supported by the ESB. About the Speaker: Katherine Hayhoe is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. She also serves as a principal investigator for the US Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. In 1997, she founded ATMOS Research, an institution bridging the gap between scientists and stakeholders on the effects of climate change on human populations. She is the Author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientists Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.

In his address to the IIEA, Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex, discusses challenges of integrating the management of the EU's borders. He discusses Frontex's work in facilitating legal migration, preventing illegal crossings and returning those who are not eligible for protection in the EU. Finally, his remarks also reflect upon the agency's work in fighting cross-border crime and countering terrorism. About the Speaker: Hans Leijtens has served as Frontex’s Executive Director since 1 March 2023. Before becoming Executive Director of Frontex, Dr Leijtens held positions as Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and Governor of The Hague. At the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, he has worked in several leading positions at the highest management level. Among others, he was a Director-General in the Netherlands Tax and Customs Administration, a Quartermaster of the Integrity Chamber in Sint Maarten, a Programme Director-General of the reconstruction of the Windward Islands, and a member of the International Board of Auditors (NATO). Mr Leijtens studied sociology and psychology at the Royal Military Academy in Breda from 1981 to 1985 and earned his doctorate in public administration from Leiden University in 2008.