Europe to invest in neighborhood stability – EU Commission head

She stated this during her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“During the last decade, Europeans learnt the importance of a stable neighbourhood. From Ukraine to the shores of the Mediterranean, from the Western Balkans to the Sahel. We have learnt the importance to invest more in long-term stability and to prevent crises. This is where Europe can make a real difference," the president of the European Commission said.

She recalled that Europe is the largest donor for development cooperation – in fact, it invests in this more than the rest of the world combined. “But we must also do more when it comes to managing crises as they develop," she noted.

“Hard power always comes with diplomacy and conflict prevention; with the work on reconciliation and reconstruction, which is something Europeans know well, because we have gone through this, here in Europe,” Ursula von der Leyen added.

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