On 21 January, President von der Leyen held a Special Address at the World Economic Forum in Davos. ‘The cooperative world order we imagined 25 years ago has not turned into reality. Instead, we have entered a new era of harsh geostrategic competition’ she said. the main take aways are as follows:
– ‘The race is on’, which also applies to AI, clean tech, quantum and space. We need a balance between security and opportunities to innovate and increase our prosperity.
– ‘The world is changing – so must we!’: Europe needs to step up a gear, which is why she has asked Mario Draghi for a report on European competitiveness. Building on this, the European Competitiveness Compass will be presented on 29 January , which will determine the work over the next five years – three key areas (along the lines of the Draghi report): (1) Creation of an efficient capital market; (2) Simplifications: far reaching simplification/one single set of rules/“28th regime”; (3) Energy: we will have to invest in next-generation clean energy technologies, like fusion, enhanced geothermal, and solid-state batteries; new plan (Clean Industrial Deal) will be presented in February (according to the agenda of the EC College on February 26).
Climate change and Artificial Intelligence (AI): All continents are facing major challenges such as climate change and AI. ‘On challenges like these, we are not in a race against each other, but in a race against time. Even in a moment of harsh competition, we need to join forces. The message to the world is simple: if there is a mutual benefit in sight, we are ready to work together’. She sees a growing global interest in closer cooperation, citing the latest agreements (Switzerland, Mercosur, Mexico) as examples. The new EC’s first trip will be to India, and the aim is to expand the strategic partnership.
– Mutual benefit should also be sought in talks with China. ‘It is time to pursue a more balanced relationship with China, in a spirit of fairness and reciprocity. We want more cooperation with all those who are open to it – including the USA, of course’.
– European values: these would not change, but in order to defend them in a changing world, we need to change the way we act. ‘This is the moment to engage beyond blocs and taboos. And Europe is ready for change’.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_25_285