IIEA Talks

Ireland stands at a critical juncture on the path toward a cleaner, greener economy, as policymakers strive to simultaneously meet climate commitments, protect energy security, and deliver a just transition for consumers. In the first lecture of the 2023 REthink Energy lecture series, which is co-organised by the IIEA and ESB, Professor David Newbery delivers an address on the subject of Electricity in Ireland: transition and the energy crisis, when he assesses the state of play of Ireland’s electricity sector, identifies the core challenges facing the electricity market and shares his insights on how best to overcome them. Professor Newbery is an Emeritus Professor in Economics at the University of Cambridge, where he also serves as Director of The Energy Policy Research Group (EPRG). Along with his stellar academic work on commodity price stabilisation – which saw him co-author a book with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz – Professor Newbery specialises in energy economics and has written extensively on the regulation of electricity markets. His CV also includes time spent as a member of the Environmental Economics academic panel for the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA); an occasional role as a consultant to the World Bank; and a 10-year stint on Ireland’s Single Electricity Market Committee.

According to José Manuel Campa, Chairperson of the EBA, the increase in interest rates and uncertain macroeconomic environment have resulted in the materialisation of some risks impacting the banking sector. After years of increased resilience, the ability of the EU banking sector to weather these challenges is paramount to ensure economic resilience. A strong banking system will also provide support to the transition to a sustainable European economy. In his address to the IIEA, Mr Campa argues that regulation and supervision have contributed to strengthening the sector and the EU needs to continue to pursue a banking sector that supports the economy for the challenges ahead. About the Speaker: José Manuel Campa is the current Chairperson of the European Banking Authority. After studying law and economics at the University of Oviedo and earning his PhD in economics from Harvard University, Mr Campa taught finance at New York University and the IESE Business School and consulted for a number of international organisations including the World Bank, the IMF, the Bank for International Settlements, and the European Commission. He then served as the 10th Secretary of State for Economy of the Spanish Government and was most recently Director of Regulatory Affairs of Santander Bank.

In this third event in a series of webinars, co-organised by the IIEA and the European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO) in Ireland, an expert panel of speakers discusses the future of work and the effects that digitalisation will have on the working lives of citizens throughout the Union and its Member States. The panel also discusses the crucial role that the European Parliament can, and is, playing in shaping this future. Speakers at this event include: Deirdre Clune, Member of the European Parliament, EPP Group, Ireland Jorge Cabrita, Research Manager in Working Life Unit, Eurofound Barry Colfer, Director of Research, IIEA

Social protection is a set of policies and programmes designed to reduce and prevent poverty and vulnerability over a lifetime and has consistently proved to be an indispensable policy tool for realising multiple human rights. It ensures that people can navigate everyday life challenges with equanimity and economic security and equips societies to deal with crises. In his keynote address to the IIEA, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo outlines how social protection is a precondition for achieving inclusive and sustainable development and is an engine of development itself. He will discuss how the ILO’s strategy for building social protection systems, guided by international labour standards, can ensure that all countries build and maintain systems such as access to essential health care and to basic income security. He explores how pursuing the objective of universal social protection is both an ethical and rational choice and one that paves the way for social justice for all. Despite laudable progress made in expanding social protection in recent years, today, some 4 billion people are totally unprotected due to significant underinvestment. While closing this 'financing gap' is a challenge, it is not unsurmountable. About the Speaker: Gilbert F. Houngbo was elected by the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as its 11th Director-General, the first African to hold the position. Prior to this, Mr Houngbo was the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). He previously served as Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships at the ILO. A former Prime Minister of Togo, he also held several posts at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and as Director of Finance at the International Bank of Mali. Mr Houngbo is also Chair of UN-Water and Chair of the Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute.

Othon Anastasakis, Director of South East European Studies at Oxford; Fiona Mullen, founder of Sapienta Economics; and Kenneth Thompson, former Irish ambassador to Turkey, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist

A strong role for private financing through deep and liquid capital markets will be essential for meeting the EU’s economic and social policy objectives. In his address to the IIEA, John Berrigan, Director-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union at the European Commission, outlines the importance of moving ahead on the Capital Markets Union (CMU) and assesses the state of play of the implementation of the CMU Action Plan. Mr Berrigan also discusses associated opportunities and challenges during the remainder of the von der Leyen Commission’s term. About the Speaker: John Berrigan is the Director-General in DG FISMA (Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union) of the European Commission. DG FISMA is responsible for EU-level policy making and legislative initiatives with respect to the financial sector, including Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, sustainable finance, digital finance, anti-money laundering, and sanctions. In this context, John represents the European Commission on the Economic and Financial Committee and the Financial Services Committee, which each report to EU Finance Ministers. John also represents the Commission on the Financial Stability Board, which reports to G20 Finance Ministers. He attends the European Systemic Risk Board and is a permanent observer on the Single Resolution Board.

Politics in the US has become ever more polarised and opinion polls show that American societal values are undergoing a period of accelerating change. Leading pollster, political consultant and commentator, Frank Luntz, discusses these changes and what is driving them. He also assesses the prospects of the political centre-ground in the US being rebuilt. Finally, he considers the possible candidates in next year’s presidential election and offers predictions on the likely victor. About the Speaker: Frank Luntz is among the highest profile political pollsters and commentators in the United States. His "Instant Response" focus group technique has been profiled on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America (on Election Day), and on PBS's award-winning Frontline. He has been a guest on most of the United States’ leading talk shows and he has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, The Times of London, and The Washington Post. Frank has also worked for more than 50 Fortune 500 companies and CEOs and is a past winner of The Washington Post's coveted "Crystal Ball" award for being the most accurate pundit.

Timothy Garton Ash’s Homelands: A Personal History of Europe (The Bodley Head - Penguin Books) charts events in recent European history from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the Brexit referendum of 2016, with personal insights and anecdotes from the memories of the author. Homelands explores “Europe” beyond the borders of the EU, navigating the continent’s accomplishments and crises over the past 80 years. As a European expert, and a Briton who feels that Europe is home, Timothy Garton Ash speaks to the IIEA about the personal, as well as the political, effects of Brexit as well as the wider state of play in European politics. Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies in the University of Oxford, Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of ten books of political writing, most recently Homelands: A Personal History of Europe. Mr Garton Ash also writes a column on international affairs in the Guardian, and is a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books, amongst other journals. Awards he has received for his writing include the Somerset Maugham Award, Prix Européen de l'Essai and George Orwell Prize.

As the world grapples with the impact of overlapping crises, in September 2023, at the United Nations, political leaders will gather to take stock of their collective progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. While great progress has been made on a number of fronts, this has stalled in recent years, with new challenges reversing gains made towards achieving Agenda 2030. The pronounced increase in food prices, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastation caused by climate change and the spread of conflict are wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest people. There has been a huge impact on levels of hunger and malnutrition, on levels of sexual violence, on access to education, and on women and girls in particular. In his address, Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Seán Fleming, T.D. sets out Ireland’s response to these interlinked challenges. The Irish Government is implementing an ambitious and targeted response in 2023, underpinned by its largest ever allocation for Official Development Assistance. This response remains guided by the principles and priorities of A Better World – Ireland’s Policy for International Development- across its diplomacy, humanitarian response and development interventions – while recognising that for people in Africa and around the world, bearing the weight of these burdens is proving unsustainable.

In the lead up to and since the invasion of Ukraine over a year ago, the critical energy infrastructure of Ukraine and its allies has been targeted through both cyber and kinetic means. Emerging and disruptive technology, such as drones and hypersonic missiles, have been used on the battlefield, and cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns against partner states are on the rise. In her remarks, Dr Lohmann discusses the emerging methods and media being used against Ukraine and its European allies, and what remains to be done to keep critical infrastructure and publics safe in this hybrid warfare environment. About the Speaker: Dr. Sarah Lohmann is an Acting Assistant Professor in the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies. Her two new books: What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare (Nov. 2022) and Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield (Dec. 2022) were published by the US Army War College Press during her visiting professorship there at the end of 2022. Her current teaching and research focus on cyber and energy security and NATO policy. Previously, she served as the Senior Cyber Fellow with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she managed projects which aimed to increase agreement between Germany and the United States on improving cybersecurity and creating cybernorms. She has also served as a press spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State, a Fulbright scholar and journalist.