Keynote speech by President von der Leyen at the World Future Forum, via video message

Dear Secretary-General Guterres,
Dear Ministers,
Mayor Moedas,
Distinguished guests and friends,

It is a pleasure to address you at the very first World Future Forum in Lisbon. At Taguspark, the largest technology park in Portugal.

Technology should never be an end in itself but a means to serve a greater purpose. As technological progress accelerates, so do the challenges we face: just take geopolitical instability, economic volatility, and climate change.

Technological innovations can contribute to urgently needed solutions. Here in Europe, I believe there are three crucial areas where we can facilitate such positive impact.

First, in supporting transformative technologies. Cities like Lisbon are incubators of talent. Just yesterday, many of you visited the Unicorn Factory, one of Europe's top start-up hubs. Since 2012, more than 820 startups have been working there on technologies of the future.

From agritech and robotics, to medicines and mobility. The ideas that are built in places like this are about more than profit. They strengthen our continent's competitiveness. They reduce our geopolitical dependencies. And they address the ever more dramatic impacts of climate change.

To better support innovation, we have created the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform. We call it STEP. Just last week, we launched a new, 300 million euros call. Start-ups will benefit already in 2025.

Our focus is on critical technologies like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotech. And we will invest up to 30 million euros per start-up.

My second point: These investments are also investments in our values. Again, technology should serve people and our highest aspirations. This is why initiatives like your Global Technology Collaboration Labs are so important. They help promote the responsible and ethical use of breakthrough technologies.

A great example can be found not far from here. The Alqueva Dam is just a two-hour drive inland from Lisbon. Here you'll find Europe's largest floating solar park. These “flotovoltaics” rest on hydropower reservoirs. Thus, they not only produce clean energy, without occupying valuable land, they also reduce  water evaporation.

It's a powerful example of how technology and nature can, and must, work together.

And this brings me to my third point: Sustainable finance is key. Allied4Future's Sustainable Finance Goals are a step in the right direction. To scale innovations, we need investments that are not just profitable, but also purpose-driven. Europe has taken the lead in sustainable finance.

For nearly 20 years, we've had a price on carbon, and it has delivered. Emissions have fallen by almost 50%, while our economy has grown. And the revenues it generates – 180 billion euros by now – are reinvested into climate action and innovation.

Now is the time to apply this model to natural capital.

In Portugal's Greater Coa Valley, a Dutch company is already pioneering this approach. They aim to restore woodlands and wetlands to combat desertification and enhance the land's productivity.

Local communities that depend on the land are the first beneficiaries. And if such projects are successful, these communities can secure long-term support for large-scale restoration efforts. And this restoration is needed for our natural capital to heal and improve livelihoods in the countryside.

This is the direction we want to go in. Let's work together to launch more such projects, to mobilize more finance to power them and to make them as effective as possible.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Portugal was once the launchpad for some of history's greatest explorers. Today, you are exploring the future we must build together — a Europe where technology, nature, and finance work hand in hand.

I wish you all an inspiring forum. Thank you very much.