Ursula von der Leyen: “Europe Is Ready to Build the Future Together” — Global Gateway Forum 2025
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At the Global Gateway Forum 2025 in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a landmark keynote speech celebrating four years since the EU launched its flagship Global Gateway initiative — Europe’s answer to building fair, sustainable global partnerships in infrastructure, energy, and technology.
Von der Leyen began by acknowledging a world transformed by “highly competitive and transactional global politics.” She warned that trade barriers, weaponized dependencies, and unsustainable debts have reshaped the global order, calling on nations to pursue “strategic strength at home” while deepening partnerships based on mutual respect and sovereignty.
“Independence does not mean isolation,” von der Leyen declared, emphasizing that Europe’s approach is rooted in partnership and diversification. She outlined a sweeping expansion of EU trade relations, citing new agreements with Mercosur, Mexico, and Indonesia, ongoing negotiations with India, Malaysia, and the UAE, and Europe’s broader effort to “boost economic security on both sides.”
Turning to investment, the EU’s Global Gateway has already mobilized over €306 billion in four years, surpassing its original five-year goal ahead of schedule. Von der Leyen said she expects total investments to exceed €400 billion by 2027, marking what she described as proof of “what we can achieve when we align strategic priorities.”
The Commission chief highlighted several flagship Global Gateway projects, including the Lobito Corridor in Central Africa — a billion-euro transport network linking Angola’s Atlantic coast with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, cutting travel time from 45 days to one week and drastically reducing emissions. The corridor, she said, illustrates Global Gateway’s core principle: investment that delivers local jobs, skills, and industries while securing critical raw materials for both Europe and its partners.
Von der Leyen listed similar EU-backed ventures worldwide: digital transformation in Colombia, regional energy integration with Guatemala, clean energy projects in South Africa, Togo, and Mauritania, and support for Rwanda’s biotech and vaccine manufacturing sector. “This is the essence of Global Gateway,” she said — “building resilience, competitiveness, and common strength together.”
Addressing private sector leaders and heads of state, von der Leyen stressed that lasting development “depends on the engagement of business.” To streamline collaboration, she announced the creation of the Global Gateway Investment Hub, a new one-stop platform where companies, governments, and banks can coordinate strategic investments.
Her message was clear and confident: “Europe is here. Europe is ready to work with you — to deliver the future we want to share.” The speech concluded with a standing ovation, underscoring Europe’s ambition to position itself as a global partner of choice in the new economic order.
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