Europe has entered a new era of harsh geostrategic competition and will have to work together to avoid a global race to the bottom, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

European Commission President Von der Leyen said the first trip she planned with her new Commission would be to India, where she said the EU would work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi “to upgrade the strategic partnership with the largest country and democracy in the world”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Tuesday of the risk of a 'global race to the bottom' using economic tools such as sanctions, export controls and tariffs. Speaking at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting a day after the inauguration of U.

The Commission's 'Action Plan on Affordable energy' is slated for 26 February, and von der Leyen has charged her Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with updating the governance rules which set out how EU countries collectively manage the bloc's power grid.

Von der Leyen’s announcement followed on the heels of a positive visit to Belgium by Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, during which he met European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. The next round of talks on a free-trade agreement has been set for March 10-14 in Brussels.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is trying to schedule a meeting with Donald Trump in Florida ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration, according to two people familiar with the matter.