In his address to the IIEA, Commissioner Schmit reflects on the employment and social measures recently agreed at EU level to protect those most at risk of detrimental social and employment conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He outlines some of the Commission’s forthcoming proposals to support a fair and sustainable recovery with people at its centre, including those to tackle youth unemployment, fight poverty, and invest in workers’ skills for a greener and more digitalised future. Finally, he reflects on plans for the further implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, proclaimed in 2017, and for which the Commission will present a new Action Plan in 2021.

This event is part of the IIEA’s Future of the EU27 Project, which is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

About the Speaker:

Nicolas Schmit took office as European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights in December 2019. Prior to this, he served as a Member of the European Parliament, elected in May 2019. From 2009 to 2018, Commissioner Schmit was Minister for Labour and Employment in the Government of Luxembourg. This appointment followed a long career in Luxembourg’s public service, including roles as Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, and Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the EU. Commissioner Schmit holds a Doctorate in International Economic Relations from the University of Aix-Marseille.

Full Presentation Title:

The Macroeconomic Response to Covid - 19: What is Working, What is not working and Where to go from here?

In his address to the IIEA, Jason Furman discusses the macroeconomic response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the roles of both monetary and fiscal policy in combatting the economic fallout from the crisis. He addresses issues such as debt sustainability, the possibilities of inflation, and what can be learned from the different approaches on the two sides of the Atlantic.

About the Speaker:

Jason Furman is Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He is also nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He served as the 28th Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from August 2013 to January 2017, acting as both President Obama’s chief economist and a member of the cabinet. Professor Furman holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University

As the European Union and its Member States continue to grapple with the evolving public health, economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tánaiste Simon Coveney will address many challenges now facing the EU, including the response to C​OVID-19 inside the Union, assistance to EU citizens abroad, the international implications of the pandemic, multilateralism, development assistance, and the negotiations with the UK.

This webinar is free to attend as part of the IIEA’s Future of the EU27 Project, which is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

About the Speaker:

Simon Coveney TD is Tánaiste Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Brexit. Minister Coveney is also the Deputy Leader of Fine Gael and has previously served as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1998, and also served for three years as a Member of the European Parliament for the Ireland South Constituency, from 2004 until 2007.

In his address to the IIEA, Commissioner Phil Hogan discusses the vital role of international trade in the EU's post-COVID recovery and reflects on the steps needed to facilitate the continued flow of goods and to avoid long-term disruption to the European economy.

This event is part of our Future of the EU27 Project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

About the Speaker:

Phil Hogan was appointed Commissioner for Trade in 2019 under the new Commission of President von der Leyen. Commissioner Hogan previously served as Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development (2014-19). Prior to this, Commissioner Hogan was Ireland’s Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government (2011-14) and Chairman of the Fine Gael (EPP) parliamentary party between 1995 and 2001. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1989.

Italy has been among the countries most seriously affected by the spread of COVID-19 with the health and economic implications continuing to reverberate. A further consequence of the outbreak has been a sense among many Italians that the EU has not offered sufficient solidarity to Italy. Former Prime Minister of Italy, Enrico Letta, discusses his proposals for closer European co-operation in addressing the impact of the pandemic and discuss the economic, political and social impacts of the pandemic in Italy.

This event is part of our Future of the EU27 Project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

About the Speaker:

Dr Enrico Letta was Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014. He previously served as Minister for EU Affairs and Minister for Industry, Commerce. Dr Letta was a Member of the Italian Parliament from 2001 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2015 and of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2006. He graduated in International Law at the University of Pisa and obtained a PhD in EU Law at the School for Advanced Studies of Pisa.

Recorded on the 17th of April 2020

About the Speech:

Dr Mike Ryan discusses the role of the World Health Organisation’s Health Emergencies Programme and how it reacts to crises around the world. Dr Ryan draws on his extensive experience in humanitarian crises such as the Polio outbreak in the Middle East and the Ebola virus in West Africa and discusses the policies and reactions which are best suited to containing these health emergencies.

This event was part of the 2017 Development Matters lecture series, which the IIEA co-hosted with Irish Aid.

Recorded November 2017

About the Speaker:

Dr Mike Ryan has been at the forefront of managing acute risks to global health for nearly 20 years. He has a track record of leadership and innovation in tackling epidemics and other health emergencies. He was recently appointed Deputy Executive Director in the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, bringing his background in infectious diseases and emergency response from managing field operations to global coordination, strategy and policy. From 2013-2017, Dr Ryan worked at a Senior Advisor on Polio Eradication in the Gates Foundation and prior to that, he was Director of Global Alert and Response at the World Health Organisation in Geneva. He is also Professor of International Health at University College Dublin, Ireland and is involved in teaching and lecturing both undergraduates in medicine and post-graduates in the Masters of Public Health Programme.

This expert-level policy discussion on digital transformation in the healthcare sector heard from Martin Curley, Director of Digital Transformation and Open Innovation at the Health Service Executive for an address. Mr Curley introduced and shared the Digital Transformation Agenda for the HSE and wider Health Service. Using an Open Innovation 2.0 approach, Martin Curley discussed the HSE Digital Innovation Strategy and how this is being used to orchestrate the digital innovation ecosystem.

Martin Curley is helping enable the digital transformation of Ireland’s health service. Most recently, Mr Curley was Chief Information Office (CIO) at the Health Service Executive. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and group head for Global Digital Practice at Mastercard. Martin Curley was also Vice President at Intel Corporation and Director of Intel Labs Europe.

The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has pushed through a series of controversial judicial reforms since coming to power in 2015, which have been persistently challenged by the institutions of the European Union. Throughout this process, Poland has found itself the subject of unprecedented measures which aim to preserve the maintenance of the rule of law and protect EU values. To discuss the latest developments and to assess how these issues have developed over time, the IIEA welcomed Mr Richard Barrett, Ireland’s Representative to the Venice Commission and Dr Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights of Poland.

About the Speakers:

Richard Barrett is an Irish barrister, member of the Venice Commission and was the Deputy Secretary General in the Office of the Attorney General. Prior to his retirement from the Office of the Attorney General, Mr Barrett was Head of the Legal and Human Rights Office at the EULEX Rule of Law mission in Kosovo. From 2003 to 2006, he was the Bureau Legal Officer at the Criminal Assets Bureau in Dublin and from 2000 to 2002 he was the Head of Public Law at the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since 2015, Adam Bodnar has been the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman). Before his service as the Ombudsman, he worked as vice-president of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and was the member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust for Victims of Torture. Dr Bodnar is a professor of law affiliated with the Warsaw University and graduated from the Warsaw University and the Central European University in Budapest (LL.M.)

In her address to the IIEA, Monika Bickert discusses why Facebook is calling for the regulation of online content and what Facebook deems as acceptable content for its services. The internet has revolutionised how people communicate, breaking down barriers and increasing access to information and ideas. At the same time, it has allowed for the proliferation of abuse online – whether in the form of hate, harassment or offensive content. Ms Bickert analyses the complex challenges that governments face in limiting harm without reducing people’s rights and freedoms.

About the Speaker:

Monika Bickert is Facebook’s Vice President for Global Policy Management and Counterterrorism. Her global team manages the policies for what types of content can be shared on Facebook and how advertisers and developers can interact with the site. Ms Bickert served as Assistant United States Attorney for 11 years in Washington, DC, and Chicago, prosecuting federal crimes ranging from public corruption to gang-related violence

In his address to the IIEA, which follows the United Kingdom’s formal withdrawal from the European Union, Eamon Ryan outlines the Green Party’s view on the key challenges and priorities for Ireland in the European Union after Brexit.

This is part of the IIEA’s party leaders series entitled: Ireland and the EU after Brexit: Views from Party Leaders.

Q&A begins at 23:08

About the Speaker:

Eamon Ryan is the Leader of the Green Party, a position he has held since May 2011. He has been a TD for Dublin Bay South since 2016 and he previously served as a TD for Dublin South from 2002 to 2011. He was the founding chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and began his political career as a Dublin City Councillor. He then went on to serve as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011.