On Friday, 23 March 2012, Jim O’Neill, Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management delivered the opening address of the IIEA series The Future of the BRICs – Ten Years On.

After the event, we interviewed Mr. O’Neill asking him to comment on the sustainability of China's growth model and the key challenges facing China in the next few years. View his responses in the videos below.

Since 1 January 2012, aviation has been included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The inclusion of international carriers in the scheme has prompted intense international opposition from the US and BASIC countries, including an unsuccessful legal challenge before the European Court of Justice and a ban on Chinese airlines participating in the scheme. Warnings of potential retaliatory measures abound, prompting fears of a potential trade war.

The economic challenges facing South-East Europe and the solution for overcoming these challenges have been the theme of two events at the IIEA this month. 

Ahead of the IIEA seminar on aviation and the EU-ETS – Trade Wars in the Skies? on Tuesday, 27 March 2012, this post examines the escalating controversy surrounding the inclusion of aviation in the EU-Emissions Trading Scheme.

Two recent papers from European think-tanks review the geopolitical consequences of the Greek crisis and Germany’s approach to the Euro crisis. 

On 27 February 2012, President of the World Bank, Robert B. Zoellick, presented a joint report of the World Bank and the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Read more...

106 days left on the countdown to “The Future We Want.” This is the core theme of Rio+20 – the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, scheduled to take place from 20-22 June 2012. Rio+20 will bring together heads of governments and ministers from around the world to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit - the UN Conference on Environment and Development, convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Read more...

The opening meeting of the Fifth Session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday 5 March 2012. At this meeting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao presented a report on the work of the Chinese government in 2011 and its targets for 2012. Read more...

A decision to formally grant candidate status to Serbia was taken at a meeting of European Foreign Ministers on Tuesday 28th February and endorsed by the European Council two days later. Accession negotiations between the EU and Serbia can now begin, putting Serbia on the path of European integration. Read more...

Between 18 and 20 February 2012, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was in Ireland on an official state visit. It is expected that he will be appointed as President of the People’s Republic of China, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, between October 2012 and March 2013. Hence, the occasion of his visit to Ireland is a particularly striking milestone in Sino-Irish relations.

Yesterday at the IIEA, Minister Hogan discussed his vision for climate policy, reflecting on the climate challenge to 2020 and beyond at domestic, EU and international levels.