This year’s IIEA YPN Christmas Special reflects upon the 2024 ‘year of elections’. Larry Donnelly, Lecturer at NUI Galway, discusses the 2024 US Presidential election and what we can expect with a new Trump administration. Brigid Laffan, Professor Emeritus at EUI, discusses the European Parliament and what we can expect from a new EU Commission. Finally, Kevin Cunningham, Lecturer in Politics at TU Dublin and Founder of Ireland Thinks reflects upon the 2024 Irish General Election and its outcomes. 

Speakers on this panel include:

Larry Donnelly, Lecturer at University of Galway

Brigid Laffan, Professor Emeritus at Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI

Kevin Cunningham, Lecturer in Politics at TU Dublin and Founder of Ireland Thinks

This podcast explores the importance of the rule of law as a fundamental value of the EU and its role in ensuring the future of the EU. In conversation with IIEA Researcher, Heather Burke, retired Supreme Court Judge, John MacMenamin discusses the internal and external issues facing Europe and its liberal democratic model. He emphasises that a healthy democracy relies on active participation in the democratic project, not only passive acceptance of the rule of law as an abstract principle.

Offering insights into the role of the EU as a champion of the rule of law, Judge MacMenamin discusses how the EU must use tools such as the Article 7 procedure and the Rule of Law conditionality mechanism to their full potential. However, developing a sense of trust and ensuring subtlety when dealing with illiberal democracies must also be emphasised, lest the EU’s actions enhance the standing of populist, nationalist leaders.

Judge MacMenamin considers that we must always draw a fundamental distinction between the policies of political parties and the neutrality of the institutions of the rule of law and democracy. The former may change based on the democratic will of the people, but the latter must always be protected. The ideal of the rule of law is one that is close to the human spirit, and Judge MacMenamin concludes by reflecting on its success being a matter of connecting with people, as a bottom-up, democratic process.

According to Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, wind energy is Ireland’s greatest asset in the fight against climate change and is also an enormous opportunity for Ireland to grow its economy and deliver affordable energy for homes and businesses. In his address to the IIEA, Mr Cunniffe will provide an overview of the evolution of the wind sector from the very first onshore wind farm which was installed in Co. Mayo in 1992, right the way through to the opportunities and challenges for onshore and offshore wind in the next 25 years. He will reflect on making Ireland energy independent, which is not without its challenges, but is certainly possible.

About the Speaker:

Noel Cunniffe is the CEO of Wind Energy Ireland which is Ireland’s largest renewable energy association and works with a wide range of stakeholders to build understanding and awareness of the benefits of wind and renewable energy. Prior to becoming CEO, Noel led Wind Energy Ireland’s Policy department in driving policy development across all aspects of the onshore and offshore renewable industry in Ireland. Previously, Noel was the Renewable Integration Lead in EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator of Ireland, and worked across several departments including electricity grid planning and operation, and the design of the electricity market of Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer with Engineer’s Ireland.

In the final event of the 2024 Development Matters lecture series, which is kindly sponsored by Irish Aid, Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, discusses the most prevalent health emergencies facing the world today, particularly in Gaza, Haiti, South Sudan, and Yemen. He provides insights into currently ongoing disease outbreaks, environmental disasters, and other humanitarian crises. Dr Ryan also gives his views and experience on what causes such emergencies and how best to address them. 

About the Speaker:

Dr Mike Ryan was appointed Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme in 2019, having served as Assistant Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response from 2017 to 2019. Dr Ryan has worked at the forefront of managing acute risks to global health for nearly 25 years. He first joined the WHO in 1996.

In the context of global elections and geopolitical shifts, according to Holy Ranaivozanany, Deputy Executive Director of the Africa-Europe Foundation, a rethought, strong, and forward-looking alliance between Africa and Europe remains the most effective way to resolve interconnected crises and to meet shared development goals. In her keynote address to the IIEA, Ms Ranaivozanany explores how to unlock such opportunities for mutual benefit, where bold, innovative thinking is needed, from finance to health, green industrialisation, and digital cooperation.

About the Speaker:

Holy Ranaivozanany is Deputy Executive Director of the Africa-Europe Foundation, overseeing strategy, partnerships and outreach across Africa, Europe, and multilateral platforms. Previously, she led corporate social responsibility and sustainability for Fortune 500 companies in China and France, championing digital inclusion and climate solutions. She has collaborated with UN organisations and think tanks to shape global policy on technology for good, and has contributed to thought leadership on sustainability, disaster relief, and circular economy innovation.

The report of Mario Draghi, first published in September 2024, states that competition policy must adapt to ensure greater focus on fostering innovation and restoring the EU’s long-term competitiveness. Many of the ideas in this report have featured heavily in the mission letters sent by European commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Commissioners-designate.

This panel of experts explores how concepts in the Draghi report may be incorporated into any future Commission guidelines and how the report will influence the new Commission’s approach to competition enforcement. The panel also reflects on whether Europe’s competition policy harms its competitiveness or whether it offers an avenue through which to boost Europe’s competitiveness.

This panel event is hosted in conjunction with the Economic Regulators Network (ERN).

About the Speakers:

Olivier Guersent is the Director-General of the Directorate General for Competition. He joined the European Commission in 1992 and was initially with the “Merger Task Force” in the Directorate-General for Competition. From 2010 to 2014, he was the head of the private office of Michel Barnier, Commissioner for Internal Market and Service. Having held the position of Deputy Director-General since July 2014, Olivier has been Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Service and Capital Markets Union from September 2015 to December 2019.

Brian McHugh was appointed Chair of the Irish NCA, the CCPC in August 2023, having previously served as a Member of the CCPC from 2017. Prior to his appointment to the CCPC, he spent 15 years in Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator, the body responsible for both regulating the gas, electricity and water utility industries in Northern Ireland. During his time at the Utility Regulator, Brian was Director of Gas and Director of Finance & Network Assets. Brian holds a BA in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin, and an MSc in Energy Economics from the University of Surrey.

Professor Imelda Maher is the Sutherland Full Professor of European Law and Director of the UCD Dublin European Institute. She is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and has been Senior Vice President since 2023. She is an honorary bencher of Middle Temple London, and she serves on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Centre for European Legal Studies, the Max Planck Institute of Innovation and Competition, Munich, and the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies, Loyola University, Chicago. Professor Maher was the first Irish woman to become President of the Society of Legal Scholars of the UK and Ireland (2016-2017), the largest scholarly society of common law lawyers in Europe and is a founding member of the European Law Institute, Vienna.

Loretta O’Sullivan is the Chief Economist and Partner at EY Ireland. Loretta has been working in the economics field for almost 20 years in both the public and private sectors, on a wide range of Irish, European and global issues. She was previously the Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland and the Senior Economist in the Monetary Policy and International Relations Division at the Central Bank of Ireland. Loretta holds a PhD in Economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Policy, Management and Government from the University of York.

In July of this year, Labour won one of the biggest landslides in British electoral history. However, according to the Irish Times’ London Correspondent Mark Paul, the new government's sheen quickly wore off. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced into an early reshuffle of his backroom operation while his popularity also plummeted, causing his administration to try turn the page on its early difficulties with a landmark budget that stunned Westminster in its scale. In his address to the IIEA, Mark Paul gives an overview of the challenges the Party has faced as it makes the transition from opposition to government. He discusses how confident Labour’s senior leadership is that they can lead Britain into a more stable political era. He also looks at how Labour might fend off the Tories under Kemi Badenoch and the growing electoral threat from Nigel Farage's Reform UK.

About the Speaker:

Mark Paul has been the London Correspondent and writer of the weekly London Letter for the Irish Times since January 2023. Before that he was the author of the backpage Caveat column in the Irish Times and also the Business Affairs Correspondent. Mr Paul joined the newspaper in 2013 from The Sunday Times, where he worked for almost a decade. He is currently a member of the Westminster press lobby, primarily observing the political intrigue in the Houses of Parliament. Mr Paul also reports on events from Holyrood and the Senedd in Edinburgh and Cardiff.

In his address to the IIEA, Kai Zenner discusses the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). He outlines the Act’s risk-based approach and its implications for different levels of the AI value chain. Mr Zenner will also assess what he deems to be the positive and negative features of the AI Act. He particularly discusses the implications of the Act for the EU’s competitiveness, including both the opportunities and the risks.

About the Speaker:

Kai Zenner is Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for Axel Voss MEP (European People’s Party Group) in the European Parliament. He focuses on AI, privacy, the EU’s digital transition and Better Regulation. Mr Zenner is a member of the OECD.AI Network of Experts and of the AI Governance Alliance at the World Economic Forum. He was also part of the temporary Expert Group that supported the 'High-Level Advisory Body on AI' of the United Nations. Mr Zenner was awarded best MEP Assistant in 2023 and ranked Place #13 in Politico's Power 40 - class 2023.

John Hume was a committed and dedicated European, seeing the institutions and ethos of the European Union as models for peace, partnership, and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The John Hume 'European Spirit of Peace’ Lecture recognises those who have demonstrated a strong commitment to European principles and values. The IIEA is honoured to host the fourth edition of the ‘European Spirit of Peace’ Lecture which was delivered by Simon Coveney TD, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

About the Speaker:

Simon Coveney TD served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2022 to 2024. He also served as Deputy Leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence and was Ireland’s Brexit spokesperson through the Brexit negotiations. Mr Coveney was Tánaiste from November 2017 to June 2020 and has also held roles as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Mr Simon Coveney  represented Cork South Central constituency from 1998 to November 2024.

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.