Rebuilding trust against polarization and conflict. Davos, von der Leyen relaunches EU as “global leader”

Brussels – Disinformation on the one hand, polarisation on the other. In her annual World Economic Forum speech underway in Davos, Switzerland, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, focused this morning (Jan. 16) on the obstacles that risk limiting the ability of Europe, but not only Europe, to tackle the major global challenges we face: from the climate and geopolitical changes to the demographic and technological ones, via the rise of regional conflicts, the intensification of geopolitical competition, and its impact on supply chains.

“This is not a time for conflict or polarization, but a time to build trust,” warns the leader of the community executive, reminding that it is time to “promote global collaboration as never before.” Global challenges require “immediate and structural responses up to the task. And I believe Europe can and should take the lead in shaping this global response,” von der Leyen said.

Global competition is intensifying.

It makes the theme of this #WEF24 meeting even more relevant.

Rebuilding Trust.

This is not a time for conflicts.

But the time to drive global collaboration.

Businesses have a crucial role to play ↓ https://t.co/6hTmx14Atf

– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 16, 2024

Creating prosperity, wealth, and security for people, creating a stable environment to unlock innovation and investment, and creating equal opportunity and freedom. All of this, von der Leyen further said, “is more important than ever at the start of 2024, the most important election year in history,” which will see many democracies around the world go to the polls, including more than 450 million people in the European Union who will have to elect between June 6 and 9 a new parliament and kick off the new legislature.

And precisely on the subject of elections, the chairwoman of the executive warns about the risks of misinformation and attempts to “lead us astray.” As happened with Russia and Ukraine. Moscow “is failing its strategic objectives,” she pointed out bluntly, speaking of the Kremlin’s “failure” on several fronts: the military, economic, and diplomatic. “Ukraine has driven Russia out of half of the territories it had conquered. Ukraine repelled the Russian Black Sea fleet and reopened a sea corridor for grain distribution to the world, maintained its freedom and independence,” she said speaking of Russia’s military failure.

A failure that is also economic, however. “Sanctions have decoupled its economy from modern technology and innovation. It is now dependent on China. Finally, Russia’s failure is also diplomatic. Finland has joined NATO and Sweden will soon follow. And Ukraine is closer than ever to the European Union,” she added, citing the historic decision to start accession negotiations in Kyiv. According to the German leader, this means that Kyiv “can prevail in this war,” but it is imperative on the part of the 27 member states to continue to provide predictable economic support for the coming months.

She does not say so explicitly, but von der Leyen refers to the need to unlock the financing facility for Ukraine, part of the EU’s multi-year budget mid-term review (2021-2027) to which the February 1 extraordinary summit will be devoted.