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At the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined Europe’s three key focal points to strengthen the economy and ensure independence:
Watch for full remarks on Europe’s economic and strategic roadmap.
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00:00And ladies and gentlemen, this reality also reflects the fact that Europe has all the
00:12asset its needs to attract investment. The savings, the skills, the innovation with our
00:22AI factories and gigafactories and the applications that are necessary, AI first. What we need now
00:31is to mobilize collectively these assets to their full potential and to focus on the essential.
00:40So focal point number one is to create a conducive and predictable regulatory environment.
00:48We live in an age where capital and data can cross Europe in a second and business must be able to
00:56move just as freely. But as things stand, too many companies have to look abroad to grow and scale up,
01:06partly because they face the new set of rules every time they expand into a new member state.
01:14So while on paper the market is of 450 million Europeans open to them, it is far more complicated
01:25in reality. And that acts as a handbrake on the growth and profit potential of companies.
01:33So this is why we need a new approach.
01:35We will soon put forward our 28th regime. The ultimate aim is to create a new, truly European company structure.
01:48We call it EU Inc. With a single and simple set of rules that will apply seamlessly over our union,
01:59so that businesses can operate across member states much more easily.
02:05Our entrepreneurs, the innovative companies, will be able to register a company in any member state within 48 hours, fully online.
02:17They will enjoy the same capital regime all across the European Union.
02:21And ultimately, we need a system where the companies can do business and raise financing seamlessly across Europe, just as easily as in uniform markets like the United States or China.
02:35If we get this right, and if we move fast enough, this will not only help EU companies grow, but it will attract investment from across the world.
02:49Which brings me to the second focus, investment and capital.
02:57We are now building the savings and investment union.
03:02We need a large-scale, deep and liquid capital market that attracts a wide range of investors.
03:10And this will allow businesses to find the funding they need, including equity, at lower costs here in Europe.
03:20We have made proposals on market integration and supervision to ensure our financial market is more integrated.
03:29This covers trading, post-trading and asset management, as well as driving innovation and making our supervisory framework more efficient.
03:42This will help ensure that capital flows where it is needed, to scale-ups, to SMEs, to innovation, to industry.
03:54And the third priority is to build an interconnected and affordable energy market.
04:03A true energy union.
04:06Energy is a choke point for both companies and households.
04:10And just look at the dispersion of prices across European electricity hubs.
04:16Europe needs an energy blueprint that pulls together all the parts.
04:22This is our affordable energy action plan.
04:26We are, for example, massively investing in our energy security and independence with interconnectors and grids.
04:35This is for homegrown energies that we are trying to promote as much as possible, the nuclear and the renewables,
04:44to bring down prices and cut dependencies, to put an end to price volatility, manipulation and supply shocks.
04:52But now we have to speed up this transition.
04:56Because homegrown, reliable, resilient and cheaper energy will drive our economic growth and deliver for Europeans and secure our independence.
05:08Ladies and gentlemen, whether on trade or business, capital or energy, Europe needs an urgency mindset.
05:23Our starting point is good.
05:25We are home to global champions in fields ranging from wind power to next generation batteries, from aerospace to the industrial machines that are essential to build the chips and advanced weapons.
05:39Our companies are taking up AI at the same pace as their US peers.
05:44Europe is in the race for the key technologies of tomorrow.
05:51But as global competition gets ruthless, we must show real ambition, especially in those sectors vital for our independence.
06:04Take defense, for example.
06:05We have done more on defense in the last year than in decades before.
06:15We have started a surge in defense spending up to 800 billion euros till 2030.
06:23Member states are stepping up their investment at record level.
06:27And this has helped to triple the market value of European defense industry companies since January 2022.
06:37We now have three leading European defense tech startups that have reached unicorn valuation.
06:46They are working on AI-powered software and systems for battlefield intelligence or on advanced dual-use and surveillance drones.
06:58So they are also driving innovation and investment in Europe's defense tech industrial base.
07:06All of this would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.
07:12This now only shows how economy and national security are more linked than ever.
07:22But also what we can do when Europeans have the will to match the ambition.
07:30So, ladies and gentlemen, this need for ambition is most important when it comes to the security of our continent.
07:39In just over a month, we will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
07:52Four years on, Russia shows no sign of abating, no sign of remorse, no sign of seeking peace.
08:03On the contrary, Russia is intensifying its attacks, killing civilians every day as we speak.
08:15Just last week, its bombing of Ukraine's energy infrastructure left millions facing darkness, cold and water shortages.
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