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Commissioner Roswall's speech at the Women Climate Leaders Network meeting (WCLN) at EIB Group Forum 2026

5 March 2026 Collected on 10 Mar 2026 View on European Commission

Source: Commission européenne — Communiqués de presse

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Women Climate Leaders Network meeting (WCLN)

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... HomePress corner Women Climate Leaders Network meeting (WCLN)

Available languages: English Speech Mar 5, 2026 Luxembourg 4 min read

Commissioner Roswall's speech at the Women Climate Leaders Network meeting (WCLN) at EIB Group Forum 2026

"Check against delivery"

President Calviño, ladies, friends,

I am delighted to join you today.

We're meeting a moment of geopolitical turmoil.

I don't want to comment too much on foreign policy.

But I will make three quick points.

My first thoughts are with the civilians affected. War is a chaos machine, and civilians always suffer first, and worst. We cannot lose sight of that.

Second – I read just recently that our world is experiencing more war and conflict than at any time since the end of World War 2. War destroys economies, lives and livelihoods, but also climate action and the environment.

And third – ongoing conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East, underline the urgent need to strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy, resilience and independence.

Despite efforts in recent years, we remain too exposed to vulnerable supply chains and too dependent on other countries for energy and critical raw materials – which are vital for our competitiveness.

This last point brings me back to my portfolio, and to the topics for discussion today.

Our environment is not just a place where we can conduct business, it is the very system that makes all business possible.

More than 7 out of 10 companies in the euro area are critically dependent on nature.

And at least 3 million companies in the EU are highly dependent on at least one ecosystem service.

In fact, a recent UK government report warned that the collapse of global ecosystems was a direct threat to national and economic security, food systems, and prosperity.

And so, climate action is not a cost. Protecting and restoring nature is not a cost.

They are investments in our economic resilience, in quality jobs, in our health and wellbeing, and in our future.

Christiana Figueres, Costa Rican diplomat and former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, has repeatedly framed climate action as central to economic transformation.

Mark Carney once described climate action as the greatest commercial opportunity of our time.

And in his new book “The Growth Story of the 21st Century”, Nicholas Stern says that there is no horse race between climate action and economic development. They go hand-in-hand.

I couldn't agree more.

We see this potential in the circular economy.

Every tonne of raw materials we save, and every product or material we re-use or recycle, strengthens Europe's economic resilience, boosts our competitiveness, and reduces environmental consequences.

It also enhances resource efficiency and cuts our dependency on raw-material imports.

Circular-economy sectors already generate around EUR 316 billion in gross value added every year and employ 4.3 million people.

But we must support their potential for growth.

The Commission and the European Investment Bank estimate the annual investment gap in the EU for the circular economy to be EUR 82 billion.

For example, the construction sector needs another EUR 18 billion a year in investment.

Vehicles and batteries – EUR 10 billion a year.

Textiles – EUR 5 billion.

So, all tools to leverage private investment need to be deployed.

The Commission will propose a Circular Economy Act later this year to accelerate the transformation to circularity.

The Act will address structural barriers, create a Single Market for waste and secondary raw materials, and foster demand for circular products, services and solutions.

We are also mainstreaming and prioritising environmental investment across EU policies.

We're working on nature credits.

And we work with the EIB and others to prioritise environmental investments – and I really want to thank Nadia and other EIB colleagues for that.

We are also taking concrete steps to boost water resilience.

Under our new Water Resilience Strategy, the Investment Accelerator is designed to de-risk investments and support the deployment of new technologies.

And under Global Gateway, we are mobilising private and public funding for water security, using Development Finance Institutions to catalyse investments.

These efforts, together with your efforts, and others like them, point to a more resilient economic model – one where prosperity and the planet thrive, side by side.

Ladies, friends, colleagues,

I was in Madrid recently, and I heard a phrase that resonated strongly with me:

“Gobernar es escuchar”. To govern is to listen.

It speaks to the vital importance of collaboration. And it reminded me of studies suggesting that women are better listeners than men.

And here, today, in light of the current global instability, it reminds me of another study, showing that the participation of women increases the probability of a peace agreement lasting 15 years by 35 percent.

Yet, on average, women made up less than 15 percent of peace negotiators between 1992 and 2019.

I can't help but wonder if something similar applies to women leaders and climate action – under represented, with an outsized impact, and even greater potential for positive change.

So I want to finish by thanking you for your commitment and leadership.

You are playing a vital role and I urge you to continue to advocate strongly for climate action.

Now, back to listening.

This room is full of expertise and insight.

So I am very interested to hear your thoughts on climate action, the circular economy, and competitiveness.

And on what we can do to support all three.

Thank you.

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