Brexit, Northern Ireland and the Irish Border

Although concerns around immigration and the prospect of future 31 January 2018 trade-agreements dominated the Brexit campaign, it is the future 12:30– 14:30 status of the Irish Border that has proven to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks in negotiations to date.Matters have been further complicated by the ongoing political impasse in Northern Ireland’s devolved parliament of Stormont and by the decision of Theresa Rue de Commerce 20 May’s government to enter into a parliamentary arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). 1st floor

1000 Brussels The decision to move to Phase 2 of Brexit negotiations in December 2017 throws up further questions which impact significantly on the Republic of Ireland’s relationship with both Northern Ireland and Britain. How can a “hard border” on the island of Ireland be avoided if Britain leaves the single market? Will Brexit impact the peace process underpinned by the Good Friday agreement of 1998? How have the DUP accrued so much power in these negotiations? Join our panel of experts to discuss these important questions.

PROGRAMME

12:30 Registration and light lunch

13:00 Welcome remarks: Tomi Huhtanen, Executive Director, Martens Centre

Panel Discussion

13:05 Dara Murphy, EPP Vice-President and Campaign Director, Former Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and the Digital Single Market Tony Connelly, RTE (Irish State Broadcaster) European Correspondent

Nina Schick, Political Advisor (TBC)

Moderated by: Roland Freudenstein, Policy Director, Martens Centre 14:00 Q&A

Dara Murphy is an Irish MP and a member of Ireland's(renamed government the Party, Wilfried . Deputy Murphy was first elected to the National Parliament inMarten 2011, and from 2014-2017 served as Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs in the Irish government. • He also had responsibility for Data Protection and the Digital Single Market. Deputy Murphy was elected in 2015 as Vice-President for the European• People's Party and was recently appointed to the position of EPP Campaign Director for the 2019 European

elections. He holds a degree in Economics from University College, Cork.

Tony Connelly is an Irish journalist and author. He joined RTE News (Ireland's state broadcaster) as a TV and radio reporter in 1994 and became the network's European Editor in 2011. Concurrent to this, he has contributed to outlets such as Time, Euronews, and the Irish Independent. Connelly's second book "BREXIT & IRELAND: The Dangers,

the Opportunities, and the Inside Story of the Irish Response" was published by Penguin Books in October 2017 and was recently nominated for a 2017 Bord Gais Energy 'Book of the Year' Award. Connelly holds a degree in English from Trinity College, Dublin.

Nina Schick is a political commentator and advisor specialising in EU policy, German politics and Brexit. She is a well-known contributor to major international broadcasters including Bloomberg, Sky, and BBC. Nina has worked on decisive European political campaigns and elections, including the UK's 2016 EU Referendum, and on Emmanuel Macron's successful bid to become French President in 2017. She has advised ministers, MPs, and business leaders, having worked at UK Parliament, Spiegel Online and EU policy think tank Open Europe. • Tomi Huhtanen is the Executive Director of the WilfriedTomi MartensHuhtanen Centreis the Executive for Director of the Centre for European EuropeanStudies Studies.. He was aHePolitical was Advisera and subsequently a Senior Adviser for the EPP, focusing on economic and social policies. In 2007, he was put in charge of launching the Politicalpolitical foundationAdviser ofandthe European People’s Party, the Centre for European Studies subsequently(renamed the Wilfried a SeniorMartens Centre for European Studies in 2014); in the same year, he was nominated as the Centre's Director. Adviser for the EPP, focusing on economic and social policies. In 2007, he

wasRoland put Freudensteinin charge ofis the Policy Director of the Martens Centre. He was previously launchingdirector of theWarsaw politicaloffice of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and its Head for Foreign and European Affairs in Berlin. Prior to that, he represented the German city state of foundationHamburg ofto thethe EuropeanEU. He has contributed to debates and published extensively on People’sinternational Party, security, the CentreEuropean integration and the EU's Eastern and Southern forneighbourhoods European Studies.