European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Opening remarks by Commissioner Síkela at the Launch of Team Germany in Berlin Berlin, 11 February 2026 Minister Radovan, Distinguished guests, Thank you for organising this event and for the opportunity to address you this morning. It's a true pleasure to be back in Berlin. I have a special fondness for this city. Berlin captures the energy that I associate with ...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Opening remarks by Commissioner Síkela at the Launch of Team Germany in Berlin Berlin, 11 February 2026 Minister Radovan, Distinguished guests, Thank you for organising this event and for the opportunity to address you this morning. It's a true pleasure to be back in Berlin. I have a special fondness for this city. Berlin captures the energy that I associate with the future of Europe. It brings together history and innovation. It's a city of culture and museums, but also a business hub – home to innovative start-ups and major companies that drive Germany's economy. It's also sustainable by design. And of course, it's home to the East Side Gallery, which has transformed a wall built to divide – into a monument of free expression. I can't think of a more potent symbol of transformation than that. And transformation is something Europe needs right now. Because as recent events have shown, the global order has ruptured. Over the past year, international treaties have been abandoned, conflicts have deepened, global value chains have been weaponised, and old alliances have been broken. Countries and citizens around the world are struggling with unsustainable debt and inflation. The continuing conflicts in our neighbourhood fuel migration to Europe. And a new era of strongmen has emerged. They seize on the chaos to pursue imperial goals. And they use social media and AI to sow division – both between and within countries. In this era of great power competition, the EU's mission is clear: we must act quickly and decisively to build a strong, independent Europe. International partnerships – our focus today – play a critical role. Because Europe has clear interests both to defend and to pursue. Today, China processes 70% of the world's most important critical raw materials and 90% of rare earth elements. And who can forget the pressure Europeans felt back in 2022, when Russia's war on Ukraine sent energy prices soaring? If Europe wants to boost resilience, we need to diversify supply chains, connect to growth markets, and reduce irregular migration. At the same time, partner countries have their own interests, from securing infrastructure investments, to acquiring technical knowhow, to creating jobs on the ground. In the current competitive environment, our partners know they have options. So how can Europe compete? The EU's answer is Global Gateway – our strategy to turn development cooperation into strategic investments. Since 2021, the Team Europe has mobilised 306 billion euro in investment projects around the world – from energy, to digital, to transport. We've chosen these projects carefully, working hand-in-hand with partners to identify where their needs match our own. And where EU resources can generate the biggest returns. As many of you know firsthand, the engine behind Global Gateway's success is our Team Europe approach. It combines the resources of the EU, its Member States, development banks, and crucially – Europe's private sector. With development funds declining around the world, public finance alone is not enough to meet the scale of need. So the EU uses innovative financing tools and guarantees to crowd in European companies. For the private sector, we have instruments like grants, loans, guarantees. We can also help cover foreign exchange risk. The aim is to de-risk investments. Germany is a leader in both Global Gateway and Team Europe. And together, we deliver concrete projects on the ground. For instance, Germany plays a central role in the Global Gateway project to create a Solar Park in Angola. Together we will deliver clean and reliable electricity to around one million Angolans – while opening long-term commercial opportunities in a fast-growing African energy market. MCA Deutschland is leading the construction of solar and hybrid mini-grids across 60 rural communities. And German export credit agencies are backing the project with guarantees, helping to reduce risk for companies. At the same time, the EU provides political backing, visibility, and coordinated European financing. The result is a win for all involved. Another great example of German investment I saw personally was in Namibia's hydrogen sector. In the middle of the desert, I visited a facility using on-site produced hydrogen to process iron ore into sponge iron, which is then shipped to Europe for steel production. The first phase of the project was supported by Europe; in the next phase, we will get involved as well. Germany also plays a key role in Global Gateway's support for a project in Malaysia, which aims to create the world's largest 200-millimetre semiconductor production plant. Led by Infineon, the project will not only create the chips necessary for electric vehicles and digital technology, but also generate 4,000 jobs. Here again, Germany has partnered with Team Europe to mobilise large-scale investment. And in Peru, Germany helped Team Europe mobilise investment for expansion of the Lima International Airport. It supports growth, connectivity, and long-term economic development – both in South America and the EU. These are just a few examples of Global Gateway in action. They show how European cooperation, combined with private-sector expertise, can deliver both scale and impact. Not just for Europe, but also our partners. And this brings me to all of you in the room. As the lines between security and the economy continue to blur, it becomes even more important for the different European stakeholders to work together. I want to appreciate the decision of the German government to fully launch the Team Germany. And I am looking forward to the projects that you will submit through our new Global Gateway Investment Hub. The Hub provides a clear entry point for turning your innovative ideas into European strategic projects. It allows companies to participate across the various stages of a project – from origination of the proposal, to structuring, to implementation. Our goal with the Investment Hub is simple: to help Team Germany bring its best ideas forward. So that together, we can mobilise EU support and scale them up. This is just one of many examples of what we do to support you. We're fostering trade agreements and streamlining regulations to reduce some of the red tape for doing business. We're hosting business forums all over the world and tailored business-to-business exchanges to facilitate connections. I participate in many of these events myself and encourage you to join. Colleagues, As I said, hard geopolitics is back. Europe needs to become stronger and more independent. Europeans want a stronger Europe, and our partners are also looking to us for leadership. And I believe we have what it takes to deliver. Politically, we must continue to stand together on issues like Greenland. Our united and firm approach has shown that we can stand behind both our principles and our interests – and that this approach works. As a former banker, I know very well that the private sector is crucial for our prosperity and long-term development. It is the private sector that creates value, which is then redistributed across society. Let me be very clear: there is no success for Global Gateway without the private sector. And that is why I am delighted that, from today, Team Germany – representing Europe's strongest economy, exporter and development actor – will bring your private sector fully into our European offer. Thank you for your attention. SPEECH/26/386
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