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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article24 May 2022Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

President von der Leyen addresses the World Economic Forum and underlines support for Ukraine, energy and food security

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President von der Leyen delivered a special address this morning in Davos, at the World Economic Forum. This year's meeting is dominated by Russia's war against Ukraine. President von der Leyen made clear that the war is not only a matter of Ukraine's survival and European security. It is putting into question our whole international order. The President described how the EU is supporting Ukraine, imposing unprecedented sanctions against Russia, proposing €10 billion worth of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine and now, a reconstruction platform to be led jointly by the European Commission and Ukraine. The platform invites global contributions – from international financial institutions and from any country that cares about the future of Ukraine. President von der Leyen also addressed the consequences for Europe in terms of energy and the urgent need to move away from Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the energy transition. The European Green Deal and REPowerEU are the way to get there. Furthermore, by working with partners like the US and Canada, the EU will create more reliable and sustainable supply chains, both in energy and for raw materials sourcing. Finally, the President also addressed the threat that the Kremlin's war is posing to food security worldwide. Russia is weaponising food as it has done with energy, confiscating Ukrainian grain and blocking key ports. The EU is working to get grain to the global markets, opening solidarity lanes linking Ukraine's borders to European ports. The EU is also supporting Africa to become less dependent on food imports. President von der Leyen announced that she is working with President El-Sisi of Egypt to address the repercussions of the war with an event on food security and solutions in Europe and in the region. The President concluded saying: “It is time to end unhealthy dependencies. It is time to create new connections. It is time to replace old chains with new bonds. Let's overcome this huge challenge in cooperation. In the Davos spirit.” The speech can be watched again here and read here.