Representing the Commission

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My European work involved calls and meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders, including heads of non-profit organisations, foundation CEOs, captains of industry as well as industry bodies, senior academics and politicians, especially MEPs.

It also involved speaking at events as the EC’s representative, a responsibility I was critically aware of, mindful that I was not just fronting the ambitions and achievements of the Commission, but those of member states also. Two occasions in particular stand out:

Addressing the Irish Regional Assemblies

One such memorable occasion occurred in June 2022, when I was invited to address representatives from the regional assemblies in my own country, Ireland. It was great to meet and converse with all present and to explain the work of the New European Bauhaus and the particular role Ireland can play.

It is always a pleasure to visit the iconic Berlaymont building in Brussels where the address took place and to see for myself how it feels to sit into one of the large oval meeting tables (complete with mic and translation headphones if required) so recognisable from news bulletins.

As ever, the Irish delegation were a warm but intellectually curious group with plenty of questions, ensuring I remained on my toes throughout.

Keynote Speaker the European Mortgage Federation's EEMI Bauhaus Week

I was invited to represent the European Commission at this important conference which took place in Trento, Italy in February 2023.

The European Energy Mortgage Initiative (EEMI) is an energy-efficient mortgage ‘ecosystem’ intended to boost consumer demand for building energy renovation. It brings together a wide range of relevant market players, including lenders, investors, SMEs and utilities to align strategies and actions towards their goals.

There are enormous synergies with the work of the NEB and that of the EEMI and it was a pleasure to share thoughts and ideas with the organisers and attendees over two very fruitful days.