Ireland, the EU, and the USA: Navigating the Future Together
Ireland, the EU, and the USA: Navigating the Future Together
Friday, April 26, 2024
Notre Dame Dublin
“As we head towards the European elections, our support for Ukraine remains vital.”
— Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and the Capital Markets Union
In 2024, democracy is center stage. With voters in more than 80 countries, representing more than half the world’s population, casting ballots this year, big questions about how to meet the challenges of our times—such as the war in Ukraine, migration, and energy insecurity—drive countless conversations across Europe, the U.S., and beyond. Conversations with policymakers and other leaders about how we make sense of the complex threats we face and what is at stake may determine the outcome of many of these elections.
On April 26, 2024, students and other members of the Notre Dame community in Dublin, Ireland, participated in such a forum, as they listened to and engaged in conversation with European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness. She delivered the fourth Barrett Family Lecture, titled “Ireland, the EU, and the USA: Navigating the Future Together.” This event was jointly organized by the Nanovic Institute and Notre Dame Dublin and hosted in the prestigious setting of Iveagh House by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with partnering organization European Movement Ireland (EM Ireland).
Since 2020, McGuinness has served as the European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and the Capital Markets Union. Before her appointment to this post, she was elected to several terms in the European Parliament, serving from 2004 to 2020, including as first vice-president from 2017 to 2020. She has the distinction of being Ireland’s longest-serving member of the European parliament.
Commissioner McGuinness mapped out how she sees the world, the common challenges we face, and our role in safeguarding and advancing a future of shared values. She spoke of European and American interests with Ireland as a bridge between them. With our nations’ shared histories and interests—and how global threats of war and climate change converge to create severe economic and human consequences that exacerbate existing problems, such as migration, energy, food, and water insecurity—diplomacy and international cooperation are essential. Security provocations posed by Russia and its allies, as well as emerging AI technologies, in addition to their implications for global business, further complicate international relations while underscoring their importance. Support for Ukraine and its people, the enforcement of sanctions against Russia, and how these policies may be impacted by the 2024 elections were powerful talking points.
Following Commissioner McGuinness’s remarks, the CEO of EM Ireland, Noelle O Connell, moderated a discussion fielding questions from students, dignitaries, and distinguished audience members, including R. Stephen and Ruth Barrett, and members of their family. O Connell surmised, “As both EU and U.S. citizens head to the polls this year in an increasingly uncertain world, it is important to reflect on the key challenges and opportunities for the EU-U.S. relationship into the future. As an EU member state, Ireland has a pivotal role to play in this relationship given its history and strong ties with the United States of America.”
The Barrett Family Lecture Series was established through the generous support of R. Stephen and Ruth Barrett and aims to bring prominent leaders in the fields of business, politics, and the arts to Notre Dame Dublin and Notre Dame London to share their views on significant issues related to contemporary Europe with Notre Dame students, faculty, and staff, as well as the wider community. The Barrett Family Lecture Endowment has committed support to a Notre Dame student who received a summer internship with EM Ireland (learn more at go.nd.edu/f131ca).