Ursula von der Leyen’s message to Davos Agenda : Full transcript

Ursula von der Leyen’s message to Davos Agenda : Full transcript

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, gave a special address to Davos Agenda Week.

She spoke about issues from climate change to big tech and the impact of COVID-19.



Thank you very much, dear Klaus.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for inviting me again.

And indeed, it is worth looking back. When I was with you in Davos a year ago, Donald Trump's visit was at the centre of attention. And we were worried about the stability of our global alliances. And climate activist Greta Thunberg was also on top of a guest list full of stars. And indeed, my speech focused on the European Green Deal and of course Digitalisation. But at that time, other news very quietly were coming to us from China and they were barely noticed by most of us. Few suspected at the time that this would be the start of a pandemic that a year later would still hold us in its grip.



And yet, there were signs in Davos last January. Richard Hatchett, for example, the former White House pandemic advisor, he was a lone voice when he said: 'This is not a Chinese problem. This is a problem for the whole