Chairman s Report

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Lorena Strickland
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1 Summary The Institute for International and European Affairs Brussels (AISBL) is a voluntary, independent forum where members of the Irish community in Brussels and friends of Ireland get together on a monthly basis to hear and exchange views with high level speakers in relation to Ireland and the EU. We are affiliated to the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin. The management committee that I chair is composed of volunteer members. It has been a busy year for the IIEA Brussels with a series of events with high level speakers. We began with the first AGM of the new AISBL on the 16 th of July After the AGM we had our first event of the new term on the Greek Crisis with Suzanne Lynch of the Irish Times. This was followed by a thought provoking presentation in September by Monica McWilliams on the challenges of negotiating peace. In October, we heard from Colonel Joseph Mc Donogh on Ireland s Naval rescue mission in the Mediterranean and Elizabeth Collett on the refugee and migration crisis in Europe. In November, we held two events at the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, firstly, on the hotly debated proposal for a Trans- Atlantic Trade and Investment partnership or TTIP with Brian Kilgallen (European Commission), Justine Korwek, (Trans- Atlantic Business Council) and Monique Goyens (Director General of the European Consumers Organisation, BEUC). Secondly, later in the month we hosted the Minister of State for Europe Dara Murphy, T.D who presented IIEA members with a State of European Union from his perspective. In December, we had a year in review and Christmas reception with a fascinating behind the scenes account of the year s major events from Tony Connelly. January was our busiest month of the term, with three events beginning with John Downing who gave an encyclopaedic preview of the upcoming general election in Ireland, followed by a joint event with Women for Election on the participation of more women in politics featuring a full house and heavyweight speakers, Catherine Day, adviser to the European Commission and Niamh Gallagher, co- founder of Women for Election, and the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU Declan Kelleher. We finished off the activities of the month with an event on the Digital Single market with Ronan Harris - Head of Google s Operations in Ireland and Vice President - Sales and Operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Kilian Gross - Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Günther Oettinger - Digital Economy & Society. February, saw a historical event and reflection on how Irish political diplomacy began to be effective, it was opened by Ambassador Declan Kelleher and Professor Eunan O Halpin and Seán Donlon former Secretary- General of the Department of Foreign Affairs recounted what for them were key events in Irish political diplomacy. 1

2 In March, we had a breakfast event on current and future priorities in EU US relations with EU- US Ambassador David O Sullivan. In April we had an excellent presentation from the IIEA s Chief Economist Dan O Brien on his proposal for a European recovery project. We also heard from Johnathan Faull on the future of the European Union and the implications of the UK s negotiations on remaining if they voted to remain in Europe. Finally, In June we had a lively post UK EU referendum analysis from Dáithí O' Ceallaigh, Quentin Peel and Richard Whitman on the implication of Brexit for Ireland, the UK and Europe. Our sincerest thanks to Ambassador Declan Kelleher and all at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU and to Andrew Elliot and all at the Northern Ireland Executive Office to the EU in Brussels, for kindly hosting our events. A thank you to the Irish Ambassador to Belgium Eamon Mc Aodh for his advice and support throughout the term. A sincere thanks also to IIEA in Dublin for the continued support and of course to our members, trustees and management committee, without which the IIEA in Brussels would not be such a successful meeting place for the key policymakers and shapers, Irish and friends of Ireland. Events in detail: 2

(Suzanne Lynch Irish Times, Europe Correspondent, Brian Ward, Chair IIEA) 16 th of July 2016 - Event on Greek Crisis with Suzanne Lynch After the AGM and the election of the new Chair Brian Ward, we

3 (Suzanne Lynch Irish Times, Europe Correspondent, Brian Ward, Chair IIEA) 16 th of July Event on Greek Crisis with Suzanne Lynch After the AGM and the election of the new Chair Brian Ward, we started our opening event of the season with a debate on the Greek situation with Suzanne Lynch Europe correspondent for the Irish Times. Suzanne gave an analysis of the latest stituation regarding the Greek government and their negotiations with the Eurogroup and the European Council. After which a debate followed. This was a passionate and at times a very heated debate with views expressed on the one hand that Greece should not have a bailout imposed to those on the other hand expressing the view that no 3

4 mercy should be shown to Greece and it should stick to the same rules as other countries in the Eurozone. (Prof. Monica McWilliams, Brian Ward, Chair IIEA) 15 th of September The Challenges of Negotiating Peace: A Practitioner s Experience with Monica McWilliams Professor Monica McWilliams gave a captivating power point presentation on the challenges she and others faced in negotiating peace in Northern Ireland and she described how this experience could be used in other areas of conflict in the world such as Syria and Turkey. The event was the first event conducted jointly between the office of the Northern Ireland Executive Office and the Institute of International and European Affairs, Brussels. 4

(Elizabeth Collett - migration expert, Brian Ward - IIEA Chair, Colonel Joseph Mc Donagh) 20 th October 2015 - Refugee and migration crisis - Ireland s role, Europe s struggle On the 20 th October

5 (Elizabeth Collett - migration expert, Brian Ward - IIEA Chair, Colonel Joseph Mc Donagh) 20 th October Refugee and migration crisis - Ireland s role, Europe s struggle On the 20 th October 2015, we held an event on the refugee and migration crisis in Europe with a focus on Ireland s role. At the event we had a debriefing on the European Council Summit (15th October) on the International and European challenge posed by the refugee crisis by an expert in the field, Elizabeth Collett, the Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe. Elizabeth Collett took us through the various permutations and combinations of the refugee and migration crisis and its effects on EU policy making and member state collaboration. We also received an excellent presentation from Colonel Joseph Mc Donagh, the Deputy Military Representative at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU, on Ireland s naval mission in the Mediterranean. The Colonel described in detail the deployment of the Irish Naval Service since May 2015, which is the first significant overseas mission of the Irish Naval Service and in which many thousands of people have been rescued in the Mediterranean by Irish naval vessels on search and rescue missions. 5

(Brian Kilgallen - European Commission, Justine Korwek Trans- Atlantic Business Council, Brian Ward Chair IIEA) 3 rd of November 2015 - Debate on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

6 (Brian Kilgallen - European Commission, Justine Korwek Trans- Atlantic Business Council, Brian Ward Chair IIEA) 3 rd of November Debate on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) On the 3 rd of November we hosted a debate entitled TTIP a Trojan horse or a terrific opportunity? This event successfully explored both sides of the robust public debate around this trade agreement. It began with an overview on TTIP negotiations, from Brian Kilgallen who is responsible for the USA, in the Unit 'Bilateral International Relations' of the Directorate- General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE). Following this, Justine Korwek, Head of the Brussels Office for the Trans- Atlantic Business Council, discussed what a trade deal between the EU and U.S. might look like, arguing why it was needed. Also presenting was the Director General of the European Consumers Organisation (BEUC), Monique Goyens on why she thought a TTIP deal would be a risky endeavour that citizens and governments such as Ireland should be cautious about supporting. She explained the reasons why many see the potential agreement which some have described as a Trojan horse - as problematic for consumers and citizens. 6

7 (Minister Murphy and Brian Ward IIEA Chair) 15 th of November State of the European Union event with Minister of State for European Affairs and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D. IIEA Brussels hosted the Minister of State for European Affairs and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D. on Tuesday the 17th of November at the Northern Ireland Executive Office, Minister Murphy shared his views on the state of the European Union and Ireland s role. He presented his analysis on topics as far- ranging as Britain s upcoming referendum on membership of the European Union, Ireland s economy recovery in the context of the EU s economic governance, and Europe s migration crisis. Furthermore, following the Safe Harbour decision of the European Court of Justice, he gave an update on the latest negotiations on this file saying he was confident that an agreement would soon be reached between the US and the EU. 7

15 th of December - year in review with Tony Connelly and Christmas Reception On the 15 th of December we had a year in review with Tony Connelly RTE s Europe Editor.

8 15 th of December - year in review with Tony Connelly and Christmas Reception On the 15 th of December we had a year in review with Tony Connelly RTE s Europe Editor. Tony gave a heartfelt and honest account of his behind the scenes work in reporting many tragic and dramatic events around Europe such as the Paris terror attacks, the European refugee crisis, the Greek and Eurozone financial crises and the Russia- Ukraine crisis. He said he feared for the future of the European Union and that 2015 had been a very bad year for European Unity. 8

11 th of January - preview of the general election with John Downing John Downing described how we were in for an exciting general election in Ireland in 2016 - with a much changed political

9 11 th of January - preview of the general election with John Downing John Downing described how we were in for an exciting general election in Ireland in with a much changed political landscape in the post- bailout era. Downing took us through the procedural changes to the election such as the reduced seats and gender quotas, the state of the parties according to the opinion polls and his predictions for how they will do come election day. He outlined the expected strategies of the parties and the issues he expected would drive the agenda of the election. From his unique perspective, having been an insider working with government and outsider as a journalist, his insight was highly appreciated by members. 9

10 25 th of January - joint event with women for election more women in politics - the positive developments so far and the challenges ahead. On the 25 th of January, we had an excellent event on More Women in Politics - Positive Developments so far and the Challenges Ahead. Guest speakers included: Catherine Day, Adviser to the European Commission and Niamh Gallagher, co- founder of Women for Election, The Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU Declan Kelleher who addressed a full house. The example of Ireland was given and that we have more local women councillors and in this general election we have more women candidates running for election than ever before. However, a major point that came across was that while some progress had been made, gender quotas are just one part of the solution and a lot more action will be needed if we are to see more progress in this area. 10

11 27 th of January - Digital Single market: fostering innovation with regulation? On the evening of January 27 th we held and an event with Ronan Harris - Head of Google s Operations in Ireland and Vice President - Sales and Operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Kilian Gross - Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Günther Oettinger - Digital Economy & Society on the Digital Single Market. It was discussed how the digital single market is one of the most promising but also one of the most challenging areas of progress in European Union policy making. We heard from the speakers that the potential of innovation to flourish under a Digital Single Market is immense and getting the regulatory balance right will be a huge task for the European Commission. 11

11 th February - Sea Changes in Irish political diplomacy Professor Eunan O Halpin and Seán Donlon addressed the IIEA on sea changes in Irish political diplomacy since 1916.

12 11 th February - Sea Changes in Irish political diplomacy Professor Eunan O Halpin and Seán Donlon addressed the IIEA on sea changes in Irish political diplomacy since The premise was that the events of 1916 eventually led to a certain independence for Ireland but how did Ireland deal with this new found independence in the diplomatic world? Professor O Halpin spoke about the first Irish Presidency of the EU in He argued that this was a sea change event in that it absolutely altered the view of American foreign policy professionals on Ireland. This was followed by former Secretary- General of the Department of Foreign Affairs (Head of the Irish Diplomatic Service), Seán Donlon, who addressed us on Anglo- Irish- US relations of an independent Ireland and identified key moments in our recent history where the effectiveness of Irish political diplomacy can be quantified. 12

(Ambassador David O Sullivan and Brian Ward IIEA Chair) 15 th of March breakfast event with Ambassador David O Sullivan The European Union Ambassador to the United States, David O Sullivan gave an

13 (Ambassador David O Sullivan and Brian Ward IIEA Chair) 15 th of March breakfast event with Ambassador David O Sullivan The European Union Ambassador to the United States, David O Sullivan gave an excellent talk to a packed room over breakfast. His talk was entitled 'EU- US Relations in 2016: A Year of Change?, He covered a comprehensive list of areas where he co- operation between the US and EU was taking place. He cautiously optimistic about the prospects of progress on TTIP and about the UK remaining in the EU. 13

5 th April Dan O Brien, IIEA Chief Economist - The European Recovery Project Dan O Brien addressed the IIEA with his ideas for a European Recovery Project.

14 5 th April Dan O Brien, IIEA Chief Economist - The European Recovery Project Dan O Brien addressed the IIEA with his ideas for a European Recovery Project. He touched on many elements including: the long view on economic growth, Europe s strengths, growth since Lehman, divergence in Europe. Perhaps most interesting for many was his suggestions for levers and policies for growth which included a proposal that the ECB write a cheque of 1,000 for every citizen of the Eurozone. 14

(Jonathan Faull and Brian Ward) 26th April - Jonathan Faull, European Commission - The future of the European Union Jonathan Faull presented an upbeat assessment of the future of the European Union

15 (Jonathan Faull and Brian Ward) 26th April - Jonathan Faull, European Commission - The future of the European Union Jonathan Faull presented an upbeat assessment of the future of the European Union predicting that the euro would survive long term. He also outlined in detail the implications of a remain vote of the UK and explained the various legislative amendments that will be presented in the event of a positive referendum result. 15

(Richard Whitman, Quentin Peel, Brian Ward, Dáithí O' Ceallaigh) 27th June - Implications of the UK referendum result for the EU and the UK We had a very lively series of presentations and a panel

16 (Richard Whitman, Quentin Peel, Brian Ward, Dáithí O' Ceallaigh) 27th June - Implications of the UK referendum result for the EU and the UK We had a very lively series of presentations and a panel discussion with the IIEA s Dáithí O' Ceallaigh, Quentin Peel from the FT and Richard Whitman of Kent University. They addressed us on the realities of Brexit. They gave their views on the referendum campaign in the UK and on the implications of the vote to leave the European Union for Ireland, the UK and Europe. Dáithí O' Ceallaigh was fearful for the implications on Northern Ireland. Quentin Peel described the fallout on the British political system while Prof. Whitman suggested the interim solution for the UK was to remain a member of the EEA. 16

Previous Events Congressional Affairs German Marshall Fund of the United States

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