From the 14th AFIS Conference - New Beginnings from a Franco-Irish Perspective by Professor Brigid Laffan
Brexit was and remains a geopolitical shock, disturbing and remaking bilateral and multilateral relationships in Europe. As close neighbours of the UK, the consequences of Brexit for both France and Ireland were and remain significant. Both countries devoted considerable political and diplomatic effort in responding to and managing the Brexit process. It also drew the countries closer together. The paper will analyse the interaction and intersection of French and Irish preferences on Brexit and the impact on their relationship as two member states.
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Brigid Laffan is Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute. She was Director and Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and Director of the Global Governance Programme and the European Governance and Politics Programme at the European University Institute (EUI), Florence until her retirement in August 2021. Previously, Prof. Laffan was Professor of European Politics at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) University College Dublin (UCD), and she was Vice-President of UCD and Principal of the College of Human Sciences from 2004 to 2011. Prof. Laffan was also the founding director of the Dublin European Institute UCD from 1999 and in March 2004 she was elected as a member of the Royal Irish Academy. She is a member of the Board of the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice, the Fulbright Commission (until September 2013) and was the 2013 Visiting Scientist for the EXACT Marie Curie Network. In November 2018 she was ranked among the women who shape Europe by POLITICO and was also awarded by the University of Limerick Alumni Association with its highest honour. In September 2014 Professor Laffan was awarded the UACES Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2012 she was awarded the THESEUS Award for outstanding research on European Integration. In 2010 she was awarded the Ordre national du Mérite by the President of the French Republic. |
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- You can view the Keynote Speech here
