Alongside Klaus Schwab, who heads the World Economic Forum, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke out on Tuesday 24 May for global solutions to the looming world food crisis “in the Davos spirit”.
Speaking at the elite gathering of world leaders and corporations, she accused Russia of “confiscating grain stocks”, “blocking Ukrainian ships filled with wheat and sunflower seeds”, and using its own wheat exports “as a weapon”.
She also said that “global cooperation is the antidote to Moscow’s blackmail”.
Referring to the serious consequences of soaring wheat prices on the most vulnerable countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, she announced that she was working with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on “an event on food security and solutions in Europe and the region”.
“It is time to end unhealthy dependencies. It is time to create new connections. It is time to replace the old chains with new bonds”, she said.
To help Africa move away from dependence on food imports by increasing its production capacity, Mrs von der Leyen said it was essential to increase the continent’s resilience to rising temperatures and droughts by focusing on “innovative technologies”.
“Companies around the world are already testing high-tech solutions for climate-smart agriculture. Precision irrigation operating on renewable energy, for example. Or vertical farming. Or nanotechnology, which can cut the use of fossil fuels in fertiliser production”, she said.
No date has yet been set for the joint initiative with Egypt. Asked about this, the European Commission’s deputy spokeswoman said that a timetable would be set at the end of the ongoing discussions. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)