IIEA Talks

The global economy has endured multiple shocks in recent years and is currently coping with a fresh surge in energy prices as a result of conflict in the Middle East. In this edition of IIEA Insights, Dr David Kelly will assess the implications for inflation and economic growth from his position on Wall Street. He will also discuss a range of other issues, including the potential productivity gains from AI, the medium and long term effects of tariffs and the efficacy of monetary policy.

David Kelly is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York. His research focuses on the investment implications of an evolving economic environment, while his proprietary U.S. economic forecasting model helps shape his views on both the economic landscape and prospective asset class returns. He is a frequent keynote speaker at investment conferences in the US and a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial media outlets. He previously served as a senior strategist/economist at SPP Investment Management, Primark Decision Economics, Lehman Brothers and DRI/McGraw-Hill. Born in Dublin, he is a graduate of U.C.D. and Michigan State University.

'Europe’s Economic Security: The State of Play'

As trade has become weaponised by major powers, protectionism rises and conflicts proliferate, long-held assumptions about economic security have been cast aside. Supply disruption of vital goods such as energy, rare earths, and semiconductors require active risk management and proactive policy measures to increase resilience. In this Insights, Andrew McDowell discusses various EU initiatives designed to enhance the bloc’s economic security, including the Chips Act and the Industrial Accelerator Act, as well as assessing how the screening of inward investment into the EU is working in practice. Andrew McDowell is Director General of EIB Global and a former Vice-President of the European Investment Bank. Previously he worked as a Partner in PwC’s strategy consulting business in Luxembourg and as Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Chief Economic Advisor, when he played a central role in steering Ireland out of the 2010-2013 EU-IMF bailout.

Six years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decrease in momentum for coordinated EU public health action, particularly on respiratory disease. Despite mounting pressures from climate change, ageing populations, and strained health systems, this trend has continued. This panel discussion brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, industry representatives, and other experts to explore how Ireland’s forthcoming EU Presidency can help to re-energise Europe’s public health agenda. With a particular focus on respiratory health, the panellists discuss how EU-level cooperation on prevention, early diagnosis, surveillance, data-sharing, and innovation can deliver more resilient, equitable, and future-ready health systems across Europe.

This event is organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs in partnership with Sanofi.

The panel includes:

José Luis Castro, Director-General Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases at the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Professor Mary Horgan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health
Mark Canavan, EU Public Affairs Senior Director at Sanofi
Mandy Daly, Founder of the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance and Embedded Patient Researcher

'War in the Middle-East: implications for Ireland and Europe'

The multi-dimensional conflict in the Middle East is creating regional turmoil and roiling global markets, commodities most notably. This edition of IIEA Insights will discuss what the reaction from Europe says about the EU as a geopolitical actor, the implications for the war in Ukraine, and how the conflict is affecting an already strained transatlantic relationship. The economic implications for Ireland and Europe will also be examined.

Riccardo Alcaro is Research Coordinator and Head of the Global Actors Programme at the Institute of International Affairs in Rome. His main area of expertise is transatlantic relations, with a particular focus on US and European policies towards Europe’s surrounding regions. He is the author of Europe and Iran’s Nuclear Crisis (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).

Laurence Norman is Brussels Deputy Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal covering the EU, European foreign policy, and nuclear issues. Over the last 20 years, he has reported for the paper from Berlin, London, New York, and Buenos Aires.

Loretta O’Sullivan is Chief Economist and Partner at EY Ireland. She 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 holds a PhD in Economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Policy, Management and Government from the University of York.

In 2021, the European Commission and the EU High Representative launched the Global Gateway, a new European strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure links in digital, energy, and transport sectors, while also strengthening health, education, and research systems across the world. This panel discussion provides an accessible overview of the Global Gateway, outlining its objectives, priority sectors, and delivery mechanisms. The discussion explores what Global Gateway means in practice for Ireland, examining how Irish businesses, including SMEs, can engage with EU-backed financing instruments and international infrastructure projects, while ensuring alignment with sustainable development objectives and the priorities of partners in the Global South. The panel also situates Global Gateway within the broader context of the Global Europe Instrument and Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2026, highlighting Ireland’s potential role in shaping and delivering this flagship EU initiative.

The event begins with opening remarks by Barry Andrews MEP, Chair of the European Parliament's DEVE Committee, on the nature of the Global Gateway Strategy and is followed by the panel discussion.

The panel includes:

Barry Andrews MEP, Chair of the European Parliament's DEVE Committee
Jane-Ann McKenna, CEO at Dóchas
Anne Lanigan, Divisional Manager, Local Enterprise & Regions at Enterprise Ireland
Ruth Parkin, Director, EU Unit, Development Cooperation & Africa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade