Global politics

• DALLAS and FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Dallas Chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA, a membership organization devoted to strengthening the US-UN relationship through public education and advocacy, announced its winners for the 5th Annual UN Day Global Leadership Awards.
• The event will be live-streamed via Zoom on Saturday, October 24, at 10 am (CST).
• These challenges can only be solved through international cooperation and by the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda."
• Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems.

• These principles provide the first integrated, UN-backed framework for companies to incorporate the SDGs in their financial strategy and operations.
• The Taskforce called on CFOs everywhere to endorse the principles, highlighting the importance of achieving critical mass in order to effectively address the so-called SDG financing gap.
• With its launch in 1971 in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO introduced investors to a total return approach to fixed income investing.
• PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

• BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today announced the pricing of its second Green Bond offeringwhich follows its recent completion of the allocation of its first Green Bond and solidifies its position as a telecommunications industryleader in green finance.
• The company is committed to integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
  The new Green Bond will help support each of these efforts.
• Verizons second green bond affirms our commitment to take responsibility for protecting the environment, and Verizon remains the only U.S. telecommunications company to have completed a Green Bond.
• Verizon recognizes that minority-owned firms attract the most diverse talent on Wall Street, and their support of that is evident in this bond transaction.

• We live in a world where interdependence is becoming more and more conflictual, in particular with the growing strategic rivalry between the US and China.
• They consider they are entitled to control their surrounding neighbourhood in the name of alleged historical rights.
• They only recognize the sovereignty of states and not the sovereignty of the people.
• This is at the heart of our differences with Russia over Belarus or with China over Hong Kong.

Multilateralism in crisis

• The world has become more multipolar but multilateralism has weakened, as evidenced by the growing paralysis of the United Nations Security Council, the deep crisis of the World Trade Organization, or more recently that of the World Health Organization.
• And this precisely at a time when global problems, especially the climate crisis or health issues, are becoming more and more critical.
• Trade, technology, data, information are now instruments of political competition.

“Europeans feel they live in an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable world. They need to be reassured that we can provide a meaningful and robust European answer. “

Europe needs to act more united.

• To avoid this fate, Europe must strengthen its traditional levers, look for new ones and take new and visible initiatives to enhance its global posture.
• Europe needs at first to act in a more united way.
• And frankly, the EU is the only platform enabling European democracies to promote and defend their interests effectively.
• We must stop seeing Europe as a collection of national interests and instead define and defend together the common European interest.

“Strategic autonomy” is about defending our interests and values by acting multilaterally whenever we can, but being ready to act autonomously whenever we must.”

  We need to strengthen our capacities to act autonomously. The concept of “Strategic autonomy” is not about protectionism but about having the capacity to defend our interests and values by acting multilaterally whenever we can, but being ready to act autonomously whenever we must.  

We have more levers that we think

• To achieve this, we have more levers of influence than we ourselves often believe.
• Our internal market is still one of the most important in the world and no external player can afford to neglect it.
• We must use it to its full potential, taking a holistic approach and overcoming silos.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of existing global value chains and Europes vulnerability in that regard.

“Re-localisation and economic sovereignty have become dominant themes. We need to link closely our industrial and research policy with our foreign policy”.

The principle of reciprocity is key

Relations with foreign partners must be evaluated according to the principle of reciprocity. This must become the rule, not the exception, while of course bearing in mind the need to take into account different levels of development and overall strategic interests. The rules that we impose on European companies, particularly with regard to subsidies, must also apply to non-European companies that want to enter our market.  

“Where necessary, we should be ready to adopt a more robust and strategic approach as we have done for instance with China.”

• Where necessary, we should be ready to adopt a more robust and strategic approach as we have done for instance with China.
• We have worked to build our relationship with China on more reciprocity and a level playing field in trade, investment and beyond.
• By highlighting our political differences, we have achieved that Beijing has to take Europe more seriously.
• Our partners stability and prosperity are crucial for the EUs own security and strategic interests.

“The EU has a strong stake in maintaining and developing a rules-based international order within the framework of an effective multilateralism.”

• The EU has a strong stake in maintaining and developing a rules-based international order within the framework of an effective multilateralism even if others are clearly trying to weaken it.
• The joint Communication on Multilateralism that we are planning for next year will set out what the EU can do to counter this trend.Over the years, the EU has been quite successful on the climate issue but we must also contribute more actively to reform what needs to be changed, for example in the WHO and WTO.

“As EU we can and should do more to develop a level playing field when it comes to social and human rights.”

• As EU we can and should do more to develop a level playing field when it comes to social and human rights, through enhanced so-called due diligence requirements for economic operators in their procurement chain.
• We must strengthen our trade policy to ensure that the commitments made by our partners with regard to social and environmental standards are fully respected.
• We must also reflect on the implications ofa carbon border tax without which the Green Deal would lead either to carbon leakage or to competitive disadvantage.
• And of course we must continue to lead the global fight against tax havens.

The need to overcome scepticism

• I know there is a lot of scepticism in Europe about our ability to achieve this, but I am convinced we can succeed.
• And outside observers are too: "Europe's geopolitical awakening" is an article published last month by the renowned American magazine Foreign Affairs.
• However, it depends obviously above all on us, on our common will and actions, to make Global Europe really happen.