DAVOS – Ukraine must prevail, Russian aggression must fail, Moscow’s blackmail has global repercussions and must be rejected. To rebuild Ukraine, reforms and investments will have to go together. In the future, Europe will no longer have to fall back into traps such as that of energy dependence.
These are the main points of Ursula von der Leyen’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which is currently being held in physical presence. Many spotlights of the Forum were focused on the president of the European Commission and von der Leyen actually made a broad speech, centered on the war in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion and on the changes that this is causing both in the scenario of the Old Continent and in the global one. .
War as a blow to the international order
«The war in Ukraine – said the leader of the European Union – is putting the entire international order into question. Countering Russia’s aggression is a task for the entire global community. We will do everything we can to help the Ukrainians win and take the future back into their hands. For the first time, the EU provides military aid to a country under attack. We are mobilizing all our economic power, our sanctions and corporate action are impoverishing the Russian economy and the Kremlin’s war machine ».
Reduce European energy dependence
Ursula von der Leyen in her speech gave space to the specific problems that this war has brought to the surface on the energy side. «We must avoid ending up in the same trap as oil and gas, we must no longer depend on anyone. We are working to secure the supply chain, ”she stressed. The gas pipelines that will be built in Europe to diversify supplies and reduce dependence on Russia will also form the core of the future hydrogen network, the “new frontier” of energy in the EU according to the president of the Commission. «The diversification of our gas supplies is a pillar of RePowerEu – said von der Leyen – as we speak, Europe is concluding new agreements with reliable suppliers all over the world. In March, I agreed with US President Joe Biden to increase US supplies of liquefied natural gas to Europe. More liquefied natural gas and more gas through pipelines will also arrive from the Middle East and North Africa ». New regasifiers in Greece, Cyprus and Poland will be operational in the future, von der Leyen added.
Financial support in Kiev
In addition to having sanctions against Russia and favoring the sending of weapons, the EU also wants to give financial support of around 10 billion euros to Ukraine, von der Leyen recalled. “Reconstruction must combine massive investments and ambitious reforms to modernize Ukraine, its Administration, the rule of law, judicial independence, the fight against corruption and to get rid of the oligarchs,” von der Leyen said, touching on requirements that are necessary for Ukraine’s future entry into the EU. With regard to the reconstruction of Ukraine, the President of the Commission recalled the importance of the international conference to be held in Lugano on 4 and 5 July next.