The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is under the impression of the corona pandemic.
In the afternoon, Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her speech.
The annual
World Economic Forum
* will not take place in the Swiss ski resort of
Davos
this year due to the corona pandemic
.
Instead, a virtual
“Davos Agenda Week” has been
scheduled, with prominent representatives from politics and business speaking.
In
her speech,
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
* criticized the lack of speed in the fight against Corona
(see update from January 26, 1:42 p.m.)
.
This
news ticker is
constantly updated.
Update from January 26th, 1:42 p.m.:
In her speech at the World Economic Forum,
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
made an
all-round
blow and broached many topics, including globalization, climate change and trade.
The German Chancellor also criticized, at least in part, the approach in the fight against the
coronavirus *
.
"The speed of our actions leaves a lot to be desired," she said.
This was a problem at the beginning, according to Merkel, and she also emphasized the difficulties that a lack of transparency can cause in the fight against such a virus.
Update from January 26, 1:29 p.m.:
Merkel ends her speech with a quote from
Erich Kästner
: “There is nothing good unless you do it,” the Chancellor quotes the well-known writer.
The
pandemic
made us realize that talking is important.
"But above all, that there is now a time to act," says Merkel.
And then "together if possible".
In this way, the global weaknesses revealed by the pandemic should be “overcome as far as possible”.
World Economic Forum "Davos": Merkel wants to strengthen WHO and WTO - "The way out of a pandemic is vaccination"
Update January 26, 13:22:
"The way out of the pandemic is vaccination," says
Merkel
and now speaks again about the
coronavirus
.
Merkel also mentions the Covax
initiative
, which
ensures
that poorer countries also receive enough vaccine: “This is about fair distribution and not just about money.” But Merkel also emphasizes that new connections are now emerging between countries that work well together now.
And she criticizes a lack of communication, especially at the beginning of the pandemic.
“We have to learn the lessons from this,” said Merkel.
The
World Health Organization (
WHO)
must be strengthened.
"That is why it is very good news that the USA is a member again", that is a good and important sign.
Merkel goes into global trade, says that
Germany
will work to strengthen the
WTO
, the World Trade Organization,
in the future
.
This is particularly important after the pandemic, said the German Chancellor.
“Questions of fair work will play an increasing role,” says
Merkel
.
It also needs new answers to questions about digitization.
The Chancellor said that the minimum taxation of large digital companies will also be an important issue for the future.
World Economic Forum "Davos": Merkel emphasizes climate goals: "Conventions have proven to be correct"
Update from January 26th, 1:15 pm:
"We feel confirmed in our research policy," says Merkel.
She enumerates the achievements of her government, "to bet on research is definitely the right thing".
Merkel also speaks about one lesson of the
pandemic
being that
supply chains
worldwide are no longer reliable.
The point is that these hold up even in times of great stress.
"A question that must be discussed honestly, honestly," said Merkel.
"All of our major global conventions on sustainability have proven to be absolutely correct," says Merkel, pointing out that the
coronavirus was
transmitted from animals to humans.
She also talks about
climate goals:
"We have very tough months ahead of us in which we have to show the Green Deal," ie the way in which 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
In Germany, these are: phasing out
coal
and changing
mobility
.
World Economic Forum “Davos”: Merkel emphasizes the value of international cooperation
Update from January 26th, 1:10 p.m.:
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
first
addresses
Ugur Sahin
and his company
Biontech
in her speech
.
“We have a way out of the pandemic, even if it will still be arduous,” says Merkel.
At Biontech people from 60 nations would work together, which would show the value of international cooperation.
Merkel goes into the terrible numbers of the corona pandemic.
Merkel wants to point out three main points in her speech: how
globalization has
affected the spread of the virus, that humanity is dependent on nature and, above all, that the ongoing pandemic is a catastrophe of the
century
that shows the weaknesses of our society.
Update from January 26, 12:59 p.m.: In
parallel to Merkel's speech, the Bavarian Prime Minister
Markus Söder
informed
the press about the deliberations of the Bavarian cabinet.
The Free State has some of the strictest restrictions to combat the corona pandemic.
Update from January 26th, 12.31 p.m.:
EU Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen *
used part of her speech at the online meeting of the World Economic Forum
to admonish
vaccine manufacturers
.
The EU has
invested
billions in the development of vaccines against
Corona
and in building production capacities.
"Now the companies have to deliver."
The background to this is the conflict between the European Union and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company
Astrazeneca
.
The EU has ordered 400 million doses of vaccine from the company, which could get marketing approval for Europe by the end of the week.
But the company announced to the EU last week that much less vaccine would initially be supplied than contractually promised.
Ursula von der Leyen
is also planning a long-term program to ward off biological threats as a lesson from the corona pandemic.
The aim is to specifically track down new, dangerous pathogens in partnership with private companies and then to develop and produce vaccines on a large scale.
"We cannot wait for the next pandemic before we prepare," said the Commission President.
The program should be reliably financed instead of reallocating funds in an emergency.
And it should bring technology companies to the table with authorities such as the EU drug agency EMA and the EU Commission.
World Economic Forum Davos: Chancellor Angela Merkel one of the speakers
First report from January 26th, 9.23 a.m .:
Davos - Unlike usual, the annual
World Economic Forum
this year is not
taking place
in the Swiss ski resort
Davos
*, but virtually.
This time, the main focus will be on coping with the
corona pandemic
* and
climate change
*.
Chinese President
Xi Jinping
* gave his speech
on Monday,
and Chancellor
Angela Merkel
*
will also
speak at the forum
during the “Davos Agenda Week”
.
The US is represented by former Secretary of State
John Kerry
.
On Monday, UN Secretary General
António Guterres called
for a hurry to distribute
corona vaccines
*
worldwide
.
"If the industrialized countries believe that they are safe, if they vaccinate their own people and neglect developing countries, they are wrong,"
Guterres
said
in a video speech on Monday.
“There is now a clear, real danger of
mutations
* that will make the virus more transmissible or deadly or more resistant to existing vaccines *.
We have to act quickly. "
World Economic Forum Davos: Fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in focus
The global production capacities of the means to contain the
Covid-19 pandemic
would have to be massively expanded and licenses made available, Guterres continued.
In addition, it must be ensured that the
vaccines
are affordable in poorer parts of the world.
"Vaccines must be seen as global public goods," said the UN chief and campaigned for better funding for the international corona vaccination
initiative Covax
*.
Renowned US corona expert
Anthony Fauci
* reported on the difficult
corona situation
in his country: "It is extremely problematic to deal with a public health crisis when the country is in the middle of a split," he said Head of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases.
"When public health issues are politically charged - when wearing a mask * is a political statement - then you can't imagine how damaging that is to a public health message."
“Davos Agenda Week”: President Xi Jinping criticizes sanctions against China
China's head of state and party leader
Xi Jinping
spoke out in favor of more international cooperation and free world trade against the background of growing tensions between his country and the USA or Europe.
The world's problems could not be solved by any country alone, said
Xi Jinping
on Monday in a video speech at the opening of the virtual annual meeting.
Forming small alliances will only divide the world further.
Video: China's President Xi Jinping warns of "new cold war"
Without going into the multitude of newly imposed
US
sanctions
against China, Xi Jinping warned more generally against threatening other countries or imposing sanctions, decoupling the economies or disrupting supply chains.
Foreign trade policy should not be at the expense of other countries either.
Regardless of the criticism of persistent market barriers in China,
Xi Jinping reassured
that China wants to open up further.
It was the second appearance of the Chinese President at the annual meeting after 2017.
At that time,
after the inauguration of
Donald Trump
*
,
Xi Jinping
used the meeting to present himself as a pioneer of free world trade, in contrast to the then new US president and his protectionism.
World Economic Forum Davos: Speeches by Merkel, Macron and von der Leyen announced
In a panel
discussion
,
Federal Minister of Economics
Peter Altmaier assumed
that the
US position
on open markets and multilateralism had changed.
This was something very controversial in the debates with the USA for four years.
With regard to the new US administration under
Joe Biden
*, the CDU * politician said: "Now we should give them a chance not only to develop their ideas, but also to implement them."
Until Friday, representatives from politics, business and society will discuss current challenges in online rounds at the Economic Forum.
Speeches by ECB boss
Christine Lagarde
, Federal Minister of Economics
Peter Altmaier
and VW boss
Herbert Diess have been
announced
on the subject of economics
.
EU Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen
*, French President
Emmanuel Macron
* and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel
will also speak at the forum.
The World Economic Forum also wants to host an actual meeting this year: At the end of May, business leaders, top politicians and company representatives are to come
together
in
Singapore
.
(dpa / fmü)
* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.