European Institute

Martin Donnelly, Senior Partner at Ofcom, the United Kingdom’s communications industry regulator, offered his analysis of global developments in terms of open markets, approaches to competition, and trends in investment flows in and out of markets, looking at national, regional and global standpoint. Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate of the Federal Communications Commission presented the U.S. perspective.

In his first public remarks since the Irish rejected the Treaty of Lisbon, His Excellency John Bruton, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the US, offered a rich and insightful assessment of the historic vote and its implications for Ireland and the European Union. Expressing his personal views, the former Prime Minister of Ireland contended that the impermeability of the treaty itself, concern about loss of sovereignty,  and the absence of belief in distinctly European values led voters in Ireland to vote No.

Named to his current position three months ago, The Honorable Diego López Garrido, Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, plays a key role in setting the agenda for Spain’s upcoming Presidency of the European Council and will steer the Presidency during its term in the first semester of 2010. Mr. Garrido offered his perspective on Spain’s plans for the Presidency and assessed the current challenges and opportunities facing the EU, including two current top priorities of particular resonance for Spain:  immigration and the Union for the Mediterranean.

Raffaele Liberali, Director of Energy Research, DG Research, European Commission, in charge of the implementation of the Non-Nuclear Energy priority of the 7th Framework Programme, discussed the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology-Plan (SET-Plan) which is meant to accelerate innovation of low carbon energy technologies whilst encouraging European industry to turn threats of climate change and insecurity of supply into opportunities to increase competitiveness. This meeting was held following the June 10 EU-U.S. Summit in Brdo, Slovenia, where transatlantic cooperation in energy research and technology development was highlighted. The U.S. perspective was presented by Dr. Phyllis Yoshida, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Energy Cooperation, U.S. Department of Energy.