In his address to the IIEA, Dr Pascal Boniface examines how France is positioning itself within a shifting global landscape. The presentation explores France’s strategic posture in relation to the evolving transatlantic relationship, its engagement in the Middle East, and its response to the war in Ukraine – assessing how France is navigating complex security challenges and global realignments in its bid to remain a prominent European and international actor.
Speaker bio:
Dr Pascal Boniface is the Founding Director of IRIS – the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs. He is Editor-in-Chief of La Revue internationale et stratégique and L’Année stratégique, and the author of more than 80 books on international relations, global power dynamics, French foreign policy, and sports geopolitics.
Recorded on the 28th of April 2025
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25:17
IIEA Insights with Dan O'Brien and David O'Sullivan - 1st of May 2025
'War, sanctions and western disunity'
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is in its fourth year and efforts to pause the conflict have both intensified and become more complex, David O’Sullivan, the EU’s Sanctions Envoy since January 2023, discusses the use of sanctions by the EU and others on Russia. Since the invasion in 2022, sixteen packages of sanctions have sought to prevent Russia from accessing dual-use and advanced technologies for the manufacturing of cutting-edge weapons, and to degrade Russia’s ability to finance its war of aggression. Mr O’Sullivan discusses the evolution and efficacy of these measures and how the changed posture of the US vis-à-vis the conflict in recent months has affected EU sanctions policy.
About the Speaker:
David O’Sullivan spent most of his career, before formally retiring in 2019, in a series of senior roles at the European Commission, including Secretary-General of the European Commission; Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service; Director General for Trade; and Chief of Staff to Commission President, Romano Prodi. He also served as Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the United States from November 2014 until February 2019, which included more than half of the first term of US president Donald Trump. Prior to taking up his role as EU Sanctions Envoy, David was Director General of the IIEA.
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32:11
Protecting Consumers in the Digital Age
In her address to the IIEA, Professor Marie Jull Sørensen discusses consumer protection in the digital age. Professor Sørensen discusses some of the risks that consumers face in the digital environment and considers some of the challenges relating to digital contracts and automated decision-making. Professor Sørensen also discusses the possible role that the forthcoming European Digital Fairness Act (DFA) could potentially play in addressing online risks for consumers.
About the speaker:
Marie Jull Sørensen is an associate professor and Vice Dean of Research at the Department of Law at Aalborg University, Denmark. She has written several articles and book contributions in the area of consumer law. She is a reporter on the E-justice Portal and chairs the Nordic Hub of the European Law Institute (ELI) and is currently a co-reporter on the ELI’s project on automated decision-making.
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37:42
Democracy and political dissatisfaction in Latin America: How do we renew and concretise the promises of democracy?
A keynote address by Dr Gloria de la Fuente, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Chile.
This event has been organised in conjunction with the Embassy of Chile, Ireland.
About the Speaker:
Dr Gloria de la Fuente is a Chilean Political Scientist with a Ph.D. in Social Science from the Universidad de Chile. She currently serves as Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs (since 2023). She has worked extensively on transparency and access to public information, notably as President of the Council for Transparency. She has also served as a consultant for Eurosocial and the Transparency and Access to Public Information Network (RTA), and led projects at Chile Transparente, the Chilean chapter of Transparency International.
Dr. de la Fuente held senior roles at Fundación Chile 21, a Chilean think tank dedicated to promoting democratic governance, social equity, and progressive public policies, where she served as Director of Public Policy, Executive Director, and later as President. In April 2024, she received the Women Leaders of Reference award from the Women Economic Forum, recognizing her leadership in advancing gender equality and advocating for equity and inclusion.
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1:01:53
Future Constitutional Change: The Need to Prepare
The political landscape across the island of Ireland has been changing over the past decade. Demographic changes, Brexit, polling data, and the realignment of traditional politics in the Oireachtas all point to the need to prepare for the increasing inevitability of substantial constitutional change in the future. Dialogue around the potential for a United Ireland has become more prevalent, particularly in Northern Ireland. In his address to the IIEA, Senator Conor Murphy discusses how this now requires more structured formal planning involving the Irish Government to ensure the necessary preparations are in place for a smooth transition in the event of constitutional change.
Speaker bio:
Conor Murphy was appointed as Sinn Féin Leader of the Seanad in February 2025. In 1998, after serving as a Newry and Mourne councillor for eight years, he was elected to the Assembly where he chaired the Assembly Committee, was the Party Chief Whip, and also held the position of Group Leader of the Sinn Féin MLAs. In 2005, Senator Murphy became the first Irish Republican to be elected as MP for Newry and Armagh, he then retained the seat in 2010. In 2007, Conor was appointed the Minister for Regional Development, a position that he held until 2011. In 2012, as part of Sinn Féin’s commitment to ending double-jobbing, he left the Assembly to concentrate on his role as an MP.
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