Next week, the Irish Institute at Boston College will host a panel discussion to explore developments in the EU-US relationship, with a focus on the role of Ireland’s state. This event will feature two distinguished scholars: Emeritus Professor Brigid Laffan (European University Institute) and Jörn Fleck (Atlantic Council). Mary C. Murphy (Director of the Irish Institute and Faculty Affiliate at the Clough Center) will moderate the panel.

The panelists will examine the recent shifts in transatlantic politics, including in the areas of security, trade, technology, and sovereignty. They will discuss how small states can play a constructive role in global trade, diplomacy, and international affairs amid geopolitical tensions. The event promises a thought-provoking and enlightening conversation. 

Brigid Laffan is Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute. Prof. Laffan 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.

Jörn Fleck serves as senior director at the Europe Center of the Atlantic Council, with primary responsibility for the center’s European Union (EU) efforts, programming related to Western Europe, Brexit, and US-EU trade relations.

Mary C. Murphy is a Political Science Professor at Boston College. She is also the author of Europe and Northern Ireland’s Future: Negotiating Brexit’s Unique Case, which was one of the first book-length studies of Northern Ireland and Brexit.

This event is free to the public, but registration is required. Please RSVP by Friday October 3, 2025. It is held on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 5:00pm in Walsh Hall Function Room, Boston College.