Caretaker Prime Minister and royal couple travel to Davos
The Prime Minister in Belgium’s minority caretaker federal government Sophie Wilmès (Francophone liberal) and our country’s King and Queen flew out to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday. They will be joined by the federal Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the caretaker government Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) and the Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (Flemish nationalist) later this week. Ms Wilmès won’t remain in the posh Swiss ski resort for the duration of the Forum. Instead she will return home on Wednesday. The Forum goes on until Friday.
This year’s World Economic Forum is the 50th time that politicians, economic players and NGOs have gathered in Davos. One word is on everyone’s lips at this year’s Forum: “climate”.
In the run-up to the annual meeting, the Forum published its report about global risks. For the first time the report was dominated by environmental concerns.
The report says that “In the long term climate change is the biggest risk factor facing the world”.
Belgium wants to use the Forum “to inform about and debate on big works in progress such as the European Green Deal”, Ms Wilmès said.
She added that "Belgium supports the European Commission in its aim to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. This is why iit is important that we exchange views with those active in the economy”.