IIEA Talks

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Nature as Critical Infrastructure for a Climate Resilient EU Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

In this webinar, Tim Christophersen, Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce and author of Generation Restoration, will deliver an address on the case for treating nature as critical infrastructure for a climate-resilient Europe. Against the backdrop of increasingly frequent extreme-weather events, Tim will examine how investment in ecosystem restoration and other nature-based solutions can strengthen climate resilience, reduce flood, drought and wildfire risks, support water and food security, and protect communities and economies. He will consider the policy and investment shift required to embed nature within European infrastructure, competitiveness and resilience planning. Rebekah Braswell, CEO of Land Life, will respond to Tim’s address, drawing on her experience of advancing and delivering large-scale nature-restoration projects. Their subsequent discussion will explore how policymakers, investors and businesses can work together to scale high-quality restoration and translate the ambitions of Generation Restoration into action. Tim Christophersen joined Salesforce as VP, Climate Action in May 2022. Within the global Impact Team, he leads the work on climate and nature action and investments. Tim is based in Denmark. He is the author of Generation Restoration, a book about restoring nature at planetary scale. Before joining Salesforce, Tim was Head of the ‘Nature for Climate’ Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and led a growing global movement backed by all UN Member States and over 300 partner organizations to ‘prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide’: the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. He previously worked for the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), where he led the portfolio on the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity. From 2017-2019, he was elected Chair of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration. Rebekah Braswell is a pioneering leader in nature-based solutions and the CEO of Land Life. She has been instrumental in demonstrating the business case for high-quality nature restoration, persuading corporations to integrate nature and landscape agendas as both essential and investible. Rebekah leads global restoration projects, collaborating with corporations, governments, and non-profits to deliver technology-driven solutions that mitigate climate change and restore ecosystems. Before joining Land Life, Rebekah spent a decade addressing economic development and food security challenges across multiple countries. Rebekah holds a BA from Brown University and an MSc from Oxford University

From Reform to Membership: Moldova’s European Transformation Oct 14, 2026

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In this event, Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs and Cristina Gherasimov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of the Republic of Moldova will discuss Enlargement and Moldova’s journey towards EU membership. The Ministers’ keynotes will be followed by a panel discussion with experts to discuss Moldova’s key reform priorities and the challenges shaping the accession process. Panellists will include: Ben Ryan, Assistant Secretary, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration with responsibility for Criminal Justice Legislation Stanislav Secrieru, National Security and Defence Advisor to the President of the Republic of Moldova and the Secretary of the Supreme Security Council Ilie Chirtoacă, Executive Director of the Legal Resources Centre (LRCM), Moldova Claudia Badulescu, Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at Maynooth University The panel will be followed by closing remarks from Iulian Groza, Director of Institute for European Policies and Reforms. This IIEA event is part of the Future Proofing Europe Project, kindly sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is organised in partnership with the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), in cooperation with the Bureau for European Integration of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and with the support of the GIZ Moldova and the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Ireland.

A Keynote Address by Kirsty McNeill, UK Minister of State for International Development Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Kirsty McNeill is the Scottish Labour and Co-operative MP for Midlothian and was appointed Minister of State for International Development in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on 21 July 2026. In her ministerial roles, she has responsibility for: Africa; development and humanitarian; international finance; and climate and energy security. She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland in the Scotland Office between July 2024 and July 2026. Before entering Parliament, McNeill was an Executive Director at Save the Children, leading work on global health, education, poverty, and humanitarian issues, and earlier served as an adviser to former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She has also held a number of leadership and advisory roles across public policy, international affairs and civil society.

The Undersea War Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Elisabeth Braw's new book, The Undersea War, explores the underwater infrastructure that supports everyday life – and takes the reader beneath the waves to reveal a hidden conflict. In her remarks she will examine how the undersea cables transmit that nearly all the world's data while intercontinental pipelines carry two-thirds of the world's oil and gas, and discuss how decades of apparent calm, mysterious damage to cables has revealed a growing struggle for control beneath the waves. Ireland, which is a global cable junction but has weak national defence, is particularly exposed. Kyle Mattews, the Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Global Security, will respond and reflect upon the risks facing transatlantic subsea cables in the North Atlantic. Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Her work focuses on defence against gray-zone and hybrid threats as well as the intersection of geopolitics and the globalized economy. She leads the Transatlantic Security Initiative’s “Threats to the global maritime order” project. Braw is also a columnist with Foreign Policy and Politico Europe. Kyle Mathews is the Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Global Security. His work focuses on international security, emerging technologies, and countering authoritarianism. He recently held the position of McConnell Professor of Practice at McGill University. He is a member of the Global Diplomacy Lab and the BMW Foundation’s Global Responsible Leaders network. He is currently a member of the Government of Canada’s Cross-cultural Roundtable on Security. He is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work to advance human rights.

Stuck: The Price of Latin America's Democratic Plateau Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

For much of the past two decades, discussions of Latin American democracy have centred on decline — elected autocrats, weakened institutions, and a slide toward competitive authoritarianism. Building on joint work with Scott Mainwaring, Dr Bizzarro contends that the more common, and in some ways more troubling, pattern is not democratic collapse but stagnation. He argues that most of the region's democracies are neither dying nor deepening: they are stuck — hobbled by entrenched elites who block reform, governments that fail to deliver, and weak states that neither fully protect rights nor fully provide security. Dr Bizzarro examines what this stagnation costs: economically, in slower growth; politically, in eroding support for democratic institutions and the rise of anti-system outsiders; and internationally, in a region less able to anchor democratic norms abroad. This event examines why Latin American democracy's central problem may not be a single dramatic crisis, but a long, quiet plateau whose consequences deserve closer attention. Dr Bizzarro is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College, and for the 2026-2027 academic year, a Visiting Professor at Yale University. A comparativist working on Latin America, his research explores the nature, causes, and consequences of democracy and political parties across the region. He completed his Ph.D. in Harvard University's Department of Government in 2023 and was previously a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale's Jackson School of International Affairs. His work has appeared in the Journal of Democracy, World Politics, and Electoral Studies, and he is co-authoring a book with Scott Mainwaring on democratic deepening in Latin America.

The Protection of Undersea Cables: Government, Industry, and Academic Perspectives Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

In recent years, there has been a growing focus by governments on the criticality of offshore data cables, and the risks which they face. From accidental damage to acts of sabotage, the risks to undersea data cables continues to capture attention. In this panel discussion, experts from industry, government, and academia share their perspectives on the risks to underwater cables, and on how to ensure that this infrastructure remains secure and reliable. Speakers include: Sandra Delaney, General Council at EXA Infrastructure Camino Kavanagh, Senior Fellow with the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and a Visiting Senior Fellow with the Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London. Margaret Stanley, Director of the Maritime Security Unit at the Department of Defence

Lithuania’s EU Presidency Priorities Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

In his remarks to the IIEA, Minister Valys presents Lithuania’s priorities for its upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU, with a focus on the work in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and General Affairs Council (GAC) in Cohesion configuration. Taurimas Valys elaborates on Lithuania’s priorities in ECOFIN, regarding continued support for Ukraine, the Savings and Investment Union (SIU), taxation, and the 2028-2034 EU budget and own resources, as well as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Cohesion Policy in GAC (Cohesion). Taurimas Valys is the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania. He has more than 20 years of management experience in finance and previously served as Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for economic diplomacy, defence industry and diaspora. He has also served as an adviser to the Prime Minister on economic diplomacy and state-owned enterprise efficiency. Taurimas Valys holds degrees in International Relations and Political Science.

Europe in Good Health: Securing EU Leadership in Life Sciences: Keynote Address Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Keynote Address by Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister for Health followed by a fireside chat with Audrey Carville.

Europe in Good Health: Securing EU Leadership in Life Sciences: Panel 2 Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

"Driving Innovation for Patients" This panel examines how sustained commitment to research, innovation and health system modernisation can accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation therapies across Europe. It also looks at how public policy, private investment and multi-stakeholder collaboration can improve patient outcomes while supporting a thriving life sciences ecosystem. Panellists include: Rainer Becker, Director of Medical Products & Innovation, DG SANTE, European Commission Vytenis Andriukaitis MEP, Biotech Act Rapporteur for SANT Committee, European Parliament, and former European Commissioner for Health & Food Safety Claire Skentelbery, Director General, EuropaBio Avril Daly, President of EURORDIS - Rare Diseases Europe Muiris O’Connor, Assistant Secretary at Department of Health, Head of Research & Development and Health Analytics.

Europe in Good Health: Securing EU Leadership in Life Sciences: Panel 1 Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

"Sharpening Europe’s Competitive Edge" This panel explores the policies and conditions needed to strengthen Europe’s position as a global leader in life sciences research, development and advanced manufacturing. In particular, the discussion focuses on how initiatives such as the forthcoming EU Biotech Act and related policy developments can support innovation, attract investment, build skills and enhance Europe’s competitiveness. Panellists include: Thomas Van Cangh, Deputy Head of Unit & Head of Biotech Task Force, DG SANTE, European Commission Rachel Shelly, Global Head of Life Sciences & Food, IDA Ireland Anouk De Vroey, Head of Government Affairs & Policy at Johnson & Johnson EMEA Prof. Mark Ferguson, Former Chairman of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Board

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