IIEA Talks

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.