Speech by President von der Leyen at the EU Ambassadors Conference 2021 via videoconference

Dear Secretary-General,

Dear Ambassadors,

Dear Heads of Representation,

Dear Heads of Mission,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I am addressing you today - even if it is also with great regret that it is once again from studios and through screens that we see each other. I hope we will be able to meet again in person in the spring. But I felt it was important to take this opportunity to speak to you now at the end of this year. Firstly, to thank you for your tireless work that brings to life Europe's global commitment. And secondly, to make the case for why that work is so important at a time when international cooperation is more tense, more tested and more contested than ever.

The pandemic is perhaps the most fitting place to start. We have all seen in the last weeks the true scale of the challenge we still face against a virus that the world cannot yet shake off. But if we take a step back, we also see the scale and the speed of the response. And we see the true value of international cooperation. When we met last year, no vaccine had been approved. Not a single dose had been administered anywhere in the world. Today, 44% of the world's population has been fully vaccinated. And a large part of the doses used were exported from or shared by Europe.

Let us have a look at the figures since vaccine production started. While we have delivered around 1 billion doses of vaccine to the European people, we have in parallel shipped more than 1.4 billion doses of vaccines from Europe to more than 150 countries. We are the only region in the world that never banned exports despite the intense pressure. And on top, the European Union is so far the biggest donor of COVID-19 vaccines in the world. EU i Member States have shared almost 350 million doses for donation. The large majority, around 300 million doses, have been shared via COVAX. And the rest, more than 45 million doses, have been delivered by EU Member States through bilateral donations - for instance to our neighbours in the Western Balkans. And we will do more. We will step up our effort to support Africa where vaccination is lower than in other parts of the world. Our aim is to ensure that 70% of the world's population is vaccinated by the middle of next year. Because we will only control this pandemic if we fight it in every corner of the world.

These are only a few examples of Team Europe delivering support and solidarity on the ground. I have seen throughout the last year just how crucial EU Delegations around the world have been at coordinating these efforts. The work that you do on a daily basis is making a real difference. And I want to thank you wholeheartedly for the commitment and the dedication - often in the most trying of circumstances. I think in particular of the bravery and passion of our team in Afghanistan who helped to evacuate so many people - and who continues to work every day to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. Together, you have shown the best of Europe. And you have demonstrated that cooperation and partnership is still the best way to get things done in a world recovering too slowly and fracturing too rapidly. Because global challenges on the scale we face today ultimately bind together the fate and future of people from right around the world. From the pandemic to climate change, to questions of human rights, security and prosperity.

This is why I believe that proving to people that international cooperation and democracy can deliver is our biggest test with like-minded partners. This will be at the top of the agenda for the Summit for Democracy organised by President Biden later this week. I know that there are some who question if this discussion is what the world needs right now. Some claim that putting democratic progress and values as central to international engagement is naïve or even an obstacle to advancing our own strategic interests.

For Europe, I will always believe that the opposite argument holds true - mainly for two reasons. The first is that democratic progress is under real threat around the world, including on our own continent. Those lucky enough to have been born and raised in functioning democracies can sometimes take this point for granted. But we should not. According to Freedom House, almost 75% of the world's population are living in countries where democracy deteriorated last year. And just as worryingly, we have seen the continued rise of illiberal autocracies, branding themselves as democracies while doing away with checks and balances and silencing dissenting opinions. We cannot let the progress we have made be rolled back, just at the moment when it is most needed.

The rise of extremism and autocracy can also be a security issue for countries. We have seen this ourselves with the hybrid attack on our borders by the Lukashenko regime in Minsk. The instrumentalisation of migrants was cynically orchestrated by a regime, intending to draw attention away from the repression of its own people. Through targeted disinformation on social media, they offered false promises and literally lured people to the EU-Belarus border, putting their lives in danger. In response, we introduced immediately sanctions in coordination with the United States, Canada and the UK.

We worked with UNHCR i, IOM i and others to respond to the humanitarian needs of the migrants trapped by the Lukashenko regime and to help them return to their homes. We worked closely with our Member States to manage the external border of the EU. We prepared blacklisting of transport operators that enable smuggling of people, from airlines to travel agencies. Rapidly, several airlines and civil aviation authorities have stopped unwarranted travel to Belarus. And we reached out to countries of transit and origin. 75% of the migrants trapped at the border are Iraqis. Iraq has begun repatriating nationals stranded in Belarus. And we welcome this very good cooperation with Iraq. Thus working together with partners is effective and sends a clear signal: We stand with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, and we will continue to stand up to those who instrumentalise the hopes and lives of people.

Dear Ambassadors,

In this context, we must also speak about the Russian military movements and their massive build-up along Ukraine's eastern border. I want to underline once more the EU's full and unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of this aggression against its territorial integrity and sovereignty. We also see the blatant attempt to intimidate Moldova's reformist government by manipulating gas supplies in a time of high energy prices. We must protect our societies and democracies from this kind of cynical geopolitical power play. The EU will respond appropriately to any further aggressions, including breaches of international law or any other malicious actions, taken against us or our neighbours, including Ukraine.

This response will take the form of robust scaling-up and expansion of existing sanctions regimes. And on top of that we are ready to take additional restrictive measures. We will do so in coordination with our like-minded partners. To be very clear: We would rather engage constructively with Moscow, but this depends on them. Currently, it is Russia's deliberate choices and aggressive actions that continue to destabilise security in Europe.

The second reason why Europe must always promote democracy is that democratic progress can easily spread. We have seen this here in Europe on many occasions in the last 50 years. It was only in 1974 that the so-called third wave of democracy started in Portugal and reached Spain. After the fall of the Soviet Union, we saw the remarkable progress which brought so many countries from out in the cold into the heart of our European Union. This has shown us the power that democracy has to give people hope that positive change is possible. But this momentum works both ways. Autocracies can rise just as fast - and can infect others. And this risk is particularly acute in an age of disinformation when it takes little effort to reach a large audience. It can be used as a weapon to shape public perceptions and mislead people into believing that democracy does not work for them. This shows the importance of working together on the issues, which directly affect the way democracy works.

Take the digital transition - it brings about so many opportunities for our economies, industries and societies. Digital technologies are key to the way we have been able to manage the impact of the pandemic and to tackle some of humanity's greatest challenges. This is why we are investing so heavily in digital as part of our recovery through NextGenerationEU. But tech has also posed new challenges, which no democracy has yet really found a way to manage. We now have large tech companies who have the power to control decisions right across society. They are able to collect huge amounts of data from people's activities online to target what they see and influence how they act. If this is left unchecked, democracy will not change with a big bang but rather with a barely visible but far-reaching shift.

Currently, just four big companies control the world's demand for cloud services. They have the ability to control the data, which will run our economies and our cities in the very near future. This makes a small group of companies major geopolitical players with influence over every part of our society. The good news is that we have seen a broad convergence of views among democracies on the challenge this poses for us all. But we have also seen a huge divergence of approach in terms of how to manage this risk. For Europe, we take the position that if you want to be a tech leader - and we do - then you must be a leader in tech regulation. This is why we have proposed a new Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. This puts clear requirements on online platforms to accept responsibility for the way in which they distribute, promote and remove content. It will ensure more transparency on how algorithms work and why we are targeted with certain ads or content. It will open up fair competition, for example by ensuring that search engines do not get an unfair advantage.

Just as we did with the GDPR, Europe is ready to take the lead to shape the global standards and rules in line with our human-centric and democratic values. I am proud of that leadership. And I am proud that Europe will always work with like-minded partners to achieve those goals. This is why we have started work on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council. And it is why we want to develop closer alliances on tech and digital standards with other partners. We need this cooperation to shape the digital world and to ensure that our values drive the way new technologies are developed and deployed.

Dear Ambassadors,

This is just one example of how democracy offers the best model to tackle the most pressing challenges. I say that because democracies put people first - they aim to deliver on the expectations of society in a way that is peaceful and not at the expense of others. Of course, democracy - including ours - is not perfect by design or in reality. But the nature of those imperfections is what makes it stand out from autocracy. Because it allows space for debate and criticism and for new ideas to improve the way it works. That is why I look forward to co-chairing one of the two leader's panels at this week's Democracy Summit. I am deeply convinced that we must work together to show that democracy can deliver for people where it counts the most. And there is nothing that counts more than when it comes to our fight against climate change and nature loss. This is the defining challenge of our generation and will dominate politics and geopolitics for decades to come.

This is why we created the European Green Deal i. Since we last met, Europe has gone further and faster than ever before. We adopted our first Climate Law and became the first major economy to put forward concrete measures to meet our emissions reduction target by 2030. Of course, the European Green Deal does not work in isolation. It will have an impact on our partners - whether it be through the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or our efforts to curb global deforestation. Your role in explaining how we will support our partners through these transitions is essential.

There are some that say we should not be so ambitious given that we only account for around 8% of global emissions. That is true - but we are also the third largest economy. And if we are able to show that it can be done to deliver on growth through the green transformation, if we are able to prove that this is possible through innovation and with a just transition, then nothing is more convincing. Also in view of the devastating damage that climate change brings along. There is an alternative. This is a generational task and will involve all of us playing our role.

This was the message I took to COP26 where we announced a further increase in our contribution for climate finance. And it is why we were pleased to join forces with others on a partnership with South Africa to support their shift away from coal and towards a low-emission economy. This shows what can be achieved. But we will have to work hard at it. Because the climate change - and the path to net zero - has the potential to intensify competition and friction between major powers. Those who move first and move fastest will have the biggest advantage. Those who rely on fossil fuels as a geopolitical tool will look to slow it down and make markets more volatile.

This only reinforces the need for us to work together with our partners to accelerate the twin transition around the world. And this was exactly the thinking behind the Global Gateway. As many of you know, the need for global infrastructure is massive and it is urgent. This investment holds the key for countries around the world to improve the lives of their citizens, to create jobs in local communities and provide better and more equal access to essential services - from healthcare to education, from energy to transport and digital tech.

And this investment is equally important to tackling the most complex global challenges we face. But just as the urgency grows so does the investment deficit. This leaves countries with limited options to choose from. It can lead to taking unsustainable offers to secure investment, which can leave a heavy mark on a country's finances or on the rights of local communities for years to come. The dependencies this can create directly affects the autonomy of those countries. So there is space and there is demand for a positive, sustainable, values-driven offer. An offer, which puts standards, transparency and partnership first. Global Gateway is Europe's offer. It will aim to unlock EUR 300 billion for investment right around the world to speed up the global twin transition. It is about designing projects that deliver lasting social and economic benefits for local communities in a way that also benefits Europe and our own strategic interests around the world. This is not just about developing cloud and data infrastructure or building renewable energy capacity. It is also about ensuring that people can make the most of the benefits this can bring.

Dear Ambassadors,

When we look at today's world, we see just how many ground-breaking inventions we have witnessed in the last years from 5G and artificial intelligence to solar power, clean transport or smart grid technologies. This has improved the way we do things across Europe and in most major economies. But if we look at the world, the benefits of these innovations are not felt by a large proportion of the global population. So I believe that the greatest innovations of the 21st century will be those which ensure that new innovations can be used and benefitted by all. This will not only require investment in infrastructure and stronger supply chains. But also in skills, knowledge and capacity to ensure they can be used and operated.

And this is where I believe Europe and Global Gateway have a competitive advantage thanks to our world-class researchers, industry and public and private innovation capacity. And your role on the ground will be absolutely central to Global Gateway's ability to bring all of these elements together. We need you to work with our partners to identify investment needs and concrete projects. And to work with Member States' embassies to ensure we take a Team Europe approach to this challenge.

Dear Ambassadors,

Whether it is on health, infrastructure development, climate change or digitalisation, the world needs to work together to get things done. There have been many successes in the last year, not least the historic agreement signed by some 130 countries to make the global tax system fairer. But we should also not shy away from where there have also been difficult moments for global cooperation which have a profound impact on our Union. This only reinforces the need for Europe to focus on making itself stronger, both to be a better partner but also to be able to better protect our own interests and values. This is why we have stepped up our work to give ourselves the instruments to do that. We will soon present a new tool to dissuade others from using coercion tactics against us. This will equip us with the tools to take trade, investment or other restrictive measures towards those putting undue pressure on us. We are also strengthening our partnership with NATO i on security and defence. I recently travelled to the Baltics with Secretary-General Stoltenberg and we are working closely on an EU-NATO Joint Declaration.

But it is not a new assessment that Europe can - and clearly should - also be able and willing to do more on its own. This will help us provide stability in our region and beyond, to better prepare for new threats, and to ensure that we make the most of our unique combination of strengths when we need to act. This will be a core theme of our work in the year ahead. And it shows that Europe needs to draw on its own strengths and work closely with our allies and partners all across the world. So we will continue to work on all of our partnerships, even the most challenging or complex ones. Because we must never see diplomacy as an endorsement of the other side, but rather as a way to get things done and to protect our own interests. This is the skill, which Josep Borrell i has in abundance and I want to thank him for his leadership and unwavering support over the last year. And I want to thank all of you for doing the same. I look forward to seeing you soon and wish you a peaceful and successful end of year.

Stay healthy et bon courage.