“Check against delivery”
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the second Global Gateway Forum. It has been four years since we launched Global Gateway. In that time, the world has changed profoundly. We are now well into an era of highly competitive and transactional global politics. Tariffs and trade barriers are back as a tool of geopolitics and geoeconomics. Export controls have become a tool of statecraft, to damage competitors and extract concessions. Dependencies are weaponised. Including those created by unsustainable foreign investments – which have left too many countries burdened with unsustainable debt. Faced with this reality, advanced economies, emerging markets, and developing nations are asking the same urgent questions: How do we build strategic strength at home? How do we break free from dependencies? How do we diversify our partnerships and make them reliable? And how do we ensure access to the capital, the resources, and the technology we need to thrive?
Excellencies,
We are all adapting to the realities of this new economy. We are trying to strengthen our autonomy in strategic sectors – from clean energy to artificial intelligence. These are the building blocks of the new global economy. They will enable us to compete, to sustain our industries, to secure lives and livelihoods, and to determine our own future. This is true for all of us in this room. But we also recognise that independence does not mean isolation. Value chains are too complex and too global to go it alone. The way forward is through partnerships. Partnerships based on common interests and respect for sovereignty. That is what unites us here today. That is Europes approach. Like you, we recognise that our strength relies on diversifying our relationships. That is why we are expanding our network of free trade agreements. In the last year alone, we have reached new trade deals with Mercosur and Mexico. We secured an initial agreement with Indonesia. We are now in talks with India and want to conclude before the end of the year. We are advancing with Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates – and others. All these agreements are designed to boost economic security on both sides. And we are taking a similar approach to international investment with Global Gateway.
Global Gateway is about mutual benefits. Our initial goal was to mobilise EUR 300 billion in five years. But today, we have already hit that target. In four years, we have already mobilised more than EUR 306 billion. And I am confident we will surpass EUR 400 billion by 2027. This shows what we can achieve when we align our strategic priorities, and channel investments to where they have the greatest impact. When we do so, we strengthen our economies and secure our autonomy.
We want to work with you to focus Global Gateway even more on key value chains - Energy, clean tech, digital, critical minerals, transport, food and health. In all these fields, our goal is to combine our strengths. To build up resilient value chains together. With local infrastructure, but also local jobs, local skills, and local industries.
The Lobito Corridor in Central Africa is already an example of what this looks like in practice. This transport artery links Angolas Atlantic coast to the mineral heartlands of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It will cut the journey from the centre of the continent to the port from 45 days to just one week. And by removing 5,000 heavy-duty trucks from congested roads, it will significantly reduce carbon emissions. But the Corridor is about far more than infrastructure. It is mobilising over EUR 1 billion not only for railways and roads, but: For agricultural value chains in Angola, the DRC and Zambia. For modern logistic hubs to bring products to market. For vocational training, to ensure that local people benefit from new jobs. It is about the critical raw materials that are so vital for our strategic industries. Not just for Europes needs – but with local processing and added value. The Lobito Corridor is a strategic investment for both Europe and our African partners.
This is not a one-off story. We have similar projects with all of you here today – from investments in Colombias digital transition, to regional electricity integration with Guatemala. From clean energy projects in South Africa, Togo, and Mauritania, to sustainable transport links in Nigeria. From modernising strategic ports in Cabo Verde, to supporting Rwandas rise as a regional hub for vaccines and biotech manufacturing. This is the breadth and depth of our partnership. The aim is to build greater resilience, competitiveness, and common strength, together. That is the essence of Global Gateway.
As the world changes around us, too many critical projects still struggle to secure financing. Governments cannot bridge this gap alone. Lasting development depends on the engagement of the private sector, with their funding and know-how. Global Gateway makes grants, concession loans, and guarantees, to share the risk and to make projects viable for business. We have seen that this approach works. With support under Global Gateway, private sector investments are already strengthening Africas health and food sovereignty. They are turning harmful algae in Grenada, Barbados and the wider Caribbean into new industries and value chains.
I am pleased that over 150 top European companies are represented here today, alongside public authorities and financial institutions. Because we want to see greater engagement between our partner countries and our private sector. This cooperation does not just deliver public goods, it means sustainable jobs, growth and prosperity that far outlast the initial investment. So, we want to make this engagement as straightforward as possible.
We have heard from business that you want to be involved earlier in the process. Not just in implementation, but in shaping priorities and identifying strategic projects. That is why we are launching today the Global Gateway Investment Hub, a single-entry platform for companies to propose investments. A place where Member States, development banks, export credit agencies, and businesses come together to craft coordinated offers. Together, we can deliver – solid returns for investors, strategic value for Europe, and lasting benefits for our partners.
Excellencies,
This Forum is a not only a moment to showcase how we work together under Global Gateway. It is a moment to listen, and to reflect on how we can strengthen it further. How we can scale up concrete projects and create greater investment opportunities. This room is full of future partners. To the CEOs and investors here today: your perspective is vital. Tell us what will unlock new projects, and give you the confidence to take them forward. And to our partner governments: We are in this together. So, tell us where your priorities and ambitions meet ours. Tell us where we can combine efforts, to deliver on our shared potential. Because Europe is here and ready to work with you, to deliver a future we want to share.
Thank you and I look forward to a productive forum.
