IIEA Talks

Germany’s traffic light coalition came to power in December 2021, promising a green, innovative transformation - of the German economy and its role in Europe. It has delivered neither, buffeted by external crises and hobbled by domestic ideological battles that have poisoned cooperation on all fronts and left Germany - and Europe - adrift. Derek Scally, Berlin correspondent of the Irish Times, gives an overview of the options for any new government following the next federal election, scheduled for September 2025. About the Speaker: Derek Scally is a native Dubliner, who studied at Dublin City University and the Humboldt University in Berlin, where he has been Irish Times correspondent 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 Europe and is also author of “The Best Catholics in the World”, published in 2021 by Penguin.

The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), a non-profit NGO in the disability sector, promotes the views of over 20,000 social services and their umbrella associations. The EASPD aims to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities through effective and high-quality service systems. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Kirsi Konola, President of the EASPD, provides a comprehensive overview of the EU framework for disability policy and looks at examples of structures in different Member States and European countries to support disability services. She highlights the EASPD’s role in empowering its members to transform service delivery and to implement innovative practices on the ground. Drawing on her experience in Finland, Ms Konola reflects on collaborative efforts to advance disability policy and services at national and international level. About the Speaker: Kirsi Konola is the President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and the CEO of Tukena Foundation. Tukena is one of Finland’s largest value-based social service providers, dedicated to promoting the good life of people with disabilities. Kirsi is deeply committed to advancing the human rights of persons with disabilities and transforming services and service structures to enable their full realisation. Her work focuses on developing inclusive, human rights-based services in collaboration with broad networks and particularly with individuals, their families, and professionals. She brings extensive leadership experience, with expertise in strategic and value-based leadership as well as change management. Kirsi is particularly skilled at bridging policy and practice to drive the vision and objectives of organisations and advance the broader goals of the sector.

On the eve of the Irish General Election, this edition of IIEA Insights brings together seven diplomats, scholars, and analysts to share their views on what the foreign policy priorities of the next government should be. Each speaker outlines one-three priorities over a five-minute period. Speakers include: Edward Burke, Assistant Professor in the History of War at University College Dublin Clifford Coonan, China Analyst, Reporter, Producer, and Editor with Deutsche Welle Bill Emmott, Former Editor of The Economist Mary Fitzgerald, Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC Declan Kelleher, Former Irish Ambassador to China and the EU Michael O’Sullivan, Author and Adviser on Intersection of Investment and Geopolitics Mary Whelen, Former Irish Permanent Representative to the UN and WHO

Following the adoption of the 2024 Enlargement Reports on 30 October 2024, DG Koopman provides an analysis from the perspective of the European Commission on the current state of play of EU enlargement. He examines the progress made by the partners from the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova on their paths towards EU memberships. He also discusses the frozen negotiations with Türkiye and the halted accession process of Georgia in light of recent developments, in particular the adopted law on transparency of foreign influence. About the Speaker: Gert Jan Koopman has been the Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission since January 2023. Between 2018 and December 2022, he was the Director-General of the European Commission’s budget department, where he contributed to putting in place the EU’s €800 billion NextGenerationEU recovery plan as well as the €18 billion MFA+ for Ukraine.

Although 2024 will be remembered as a year of political and electoral tumult worldwide, the situation in Northern Ireland has been relatively stable. The Executive and Assembly have been functioning since the Safeguarding the Union Deal (31 January) and its draft Programme for Government is intended to do ‘what matters most’. This rather unfamiliar situation must come as a considerable relief to those who consider themselves co-guarantors of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, none of whom can expect much domestic or international stability in the near future. Northern Ireland is ripe for good things to grow, but this won't happen without some cultivation. Drawing on evidence and analysis from political sociology, in her address to the IIEA, Professor Hayward identifies the conditions that will make for belated but healthy progress in Northern Ireland society and the ways in which Ireland, the UK, and the USA – not to mention the ever-important EU – can help nurture them.  About the Speaker: Katy Hayward MRIA FAcSS is Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. She is an Eisenhower Fellow and was a Europe’s Futures Fellow (ERSTE/IWM) in 2023/24. Professor Hayward was also recipient of a special Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize and ‘Political Communicator of the Year’ award for her work on the impact of Brexit on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and is a trusted expert for media, policy, civic, and academic audiences worldwide. Her latest publications include the co-authored book Northern Ireland a Generation after Good Friday (2021).

This event is being held in conjunction with the European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland. Held at the IIEA to mark President von der Leyen’s address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg when she presents her new team, an expert panel discusses the composition of the Commission and the implications this will have for Europe and its place in the world. As the dust settles on the European Parliament hearings this month, as the contours of the new Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space takes shape amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, and following the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House, the panel will reflect on the challenges that President von der Leyen’s new team might face over the coming years, all against the backdrop of forthcoming general elections in the likes of Ireland and Germany. Speakers: Eileen Dunne, Former RTE newsreader & former International President of the Association of European Journalists (chair) Catherine Day, Former Secretary General of the European Commission John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist of the IIEA

This year, COP 29 takes place in Baku and a key focus at the conference will be finance, countries requiring considerable amounts of finance to significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions and protect people from the worsening effects of climate change. The Conference aims to find a new collective quantified goal on finance. Countries also presented their updated climate action plans, as under the Paris Agreement. COP 29 is seen as an important opportunity to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. This panel of experts explores what was achieved during COP 29 and whether there were any missed opportunities, with a specific focus being paid to the work of agreeing a collective quantified goal on finance. Ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Accords, the panel also reflects on COP process and whether a new forum is required in order to achieve greater change. About the Speakers: Jerry Mac Evilly is Head of Policy in Friends of the Earth where he manages research, advocacy and stakeholder engagement in support of campaigns on fossil fuel phase-out and climate action. Jerry has over 15 years' experience in developing, researching and influencing policy in both the government and Not-For-Profit sectors. Previously he held policy positions in the Oireachtas, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the CRU, as well as a number of NGOs. Jerry is a member of the National Economic and Social Council, the EPA Advisory Committee and EirGrid’s National Advisory Committee. Dr Sinead Walsh is Climate Director in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Ireland. Prior to this she served as the EU Ambassador to South Sudan. Dr Walsh has worked for Ireland’s DFA since 2009, and previously served as the Ambassador of Ireland to Sierra Leone and Liberia and was the Head of Irish Aid in the two countries. Before joining the DFA, Sinead spent ten years working in the NGO sector and is the co-author of Getting to Zero: A Doctor and A Diplomat on the Ebola Frontline. Sam Peacock is the Managing Director, Corporate Services, Regulatory and Strategy at SSE. He has been a member of the SSE Group Executive Committee since 2020 and leads SSE’s teams overseeing corporate strategy, government and regulatory affairs, communications, brand, and local project communications. Prior to joining SSE in 2011, he directed government affairs at the UK Regulator, Ofgem and worked at leading communications agency Edelman, as well as in the UK Parliament and in the UK Government. Erin Maher is Lead Sustainability Strategist and Adviser at ENSO. ENSO is a certified B corporation that helps SMEs with ESG Strategy and regulatory preparedness. Erin holds a BSE from the University of Michigan in Climate Science and Impacts Engineering with a focus on climate adaptation, and a MSc in Development Practice from Trinity College Dublin. She is passionate about addressing the climate crisis in a just and equitable way, focusing on just transitions, accessibility and communication, and environmental justice. This event has been organised in conjunction with SSE.

Dr Haddad argues that, while policymakers and public health leaders are currently managing a range of urgent priorities, delivering good nutrition must be a foundational component of domestic budgets and development cooperation funding. At a time of great food insecurity, he highlights how nutrition stakeholders will need to do more to make the case as to why it is in the interest of non-nutrition stakeholders to agree to tackle malnutrition in the developed and developing world, with examples from climate, the private sector, and international financial institutions. Dr Haddad’s speech is timely, as the 2025 Paris Nutrition for Growth Summit will focus on the critical need for sustained investment in nutrition. About the Speaker: Dr Lawrence Haddad is the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and has held this position since 2016. In 2020 he chaired Action Track 1 of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit: Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All. Dr Haddad is the co-founder of the Standing Together for Nutrition, a response to the COVID-19 crisis, and is one of the drivers behind the Initiative on Climate and Nutrition (ICAN). Prior to GAIN, he was lead author of the Global Nutrition Report, Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and Director of the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division at IFPRI. He was made a World Food Prize Laureate in 2018 and was awarded a CMG in the 2023 UK Honours List for his “services to international nutrition, food and agriculture”.

In his remarks to the IIEA, Anthony Michael Collins, Former Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) reflects upon his time at the Court. As the rule of law in Europe faces increased challenges, Mr Collins discusses the importance of the Court for European citizens, and offers his perspective on the future of the CJEU. About the Speaker: Anthony Michael Collins is a former Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union (2021-2024). In October 2024, he was nominated by the Government of Ireland to serve as a Judge at the Court of Appeal. Prior to his role as Advocate-General, he served as a Judge at the General Court of the European Union from 2013 to 2021, where he was elected President of Chamber for two terms starting in September 2016. Mr Collins is President of the Irish Centre for European Law, an Adjunct Professor of Law at University College Cork, and a Bencher of the Honourable Society of King’s Inns.

Globally, it is estimated that 2.5 billion people need access to one or more assistive products or devices, and this number is likely to rise to above 3.4 billion by 2050. In May 2022, the WHO and UNICEF jointly launched a landmark Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT), which provides a clear roadmap with recommendations that, when implemented, can address global challenges in terms of access to assistive products and making universal health coverage inclusive for all people, including delivering on our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with a Disability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The focus of this presentation will address the conditions required to create a much-needed step-change in our approach to assistive technology and how Ireland can shift to being a global leader in the field, including through its current collaboration with the World Health Organization. About the Speaker: Dr Cathal Morgan works for the WHO Regional Office for Europe, leading the workforce optimisation agenda within the Health Workforce and Service Delivery team. Before his current WHO role, Dr Morgan provided policy and technical advisory support to Governments in scaling access to rehabilitation, digital and assistive technologies with a key technical role in advising on disability-inclusive health policies. He has held several senior leadership positions within Ireland's public service, including as Head of Disability Operations in the Health Service Executive, and has worked with international organisations such as the International Initiative for Disability Leadership (IIDL) and EU EQUAL Initiative. Cathal is a trained clinical psychotherapist with a master's degree in clinical psychotherapy, a PhD in clinical research relating to suicidology, and a post-graduate diploma in executive leadership coaching.