In her speech, President von der Leyen identified two key challenges to boosting global sustainable investment: first, how to attract more capital towards sustainable investment; and second, how to bring more countries on board, and raise the global ambition. The President also spoke about the current rise in energy prices, noting that “we all see how crucial it is to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal,” and concluding that “we have to speed up our work on the European Green Deal to become more energy independent.” The speech was also an occasion for the President to highlight Europe's commitment and leadership. “Europe can lead by the power of its example. Europe has become the home of sustainable investment,” she said. President von der Leyen noted that the European green bond market today is worth around €1 trillion, that the EU has built the largest carbon market in the world through its Emissions Trading System, and that later this month, the EU will start issuing green bonds worth €250 billion, as part of NextGenerationEU. Finally, looking ahead to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, the President said: “The COP26 in Glasgow will be a moment of truth for the global community. Ambitions need to be backed by concrete plans. And Europe will continue to engage, with the highest level of ambition.”

If you missed the Summit live, you can replay the full event or catch up with the individual sessions. What did you like and what can we improve for next year? Tell us your thoughts in the evaluation survey!