“The times they are a-changin’” is the title of a lyric sung by the minstrel Bob Dylan in the 1960s. Indeed, time passes and the wind changes direction…
We were stuck with François Hollande’s famous “my enemy is finance” (which, incidentally, did not bring him good fortune), and now we have its opposite: my friend, finance!
The 48th Economic Forum opens its doors in Davos (Switzerland) (by the way, never before have so many women—21%—been among the 3,000 participants) and aims to address how to “create a shared future in a fractured world.”
To meet such a challenge, Klaus Schwab, the man who founded the Forum in 1971 and still leads it today, has shown rare audacity with his team: entrusting this repair to those who bear the primary responsibility for the fracture: Business leaders, government officials, heads of international institutions.
All of this in four days and 400 sessions!
On the European side, in addition to the president of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, leaders from the four largest European countries are expected, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will speak on Wednesday at 5:30 pm, will be accompanied by his ministers Bruno Le Maire, Jean-Yves le Drian, and Muriel Pénicaud.
Among the notable figures, there are two French women, the IMF Director Christine Lagarde and the CEO of Engie Isabelle Kocher, along with around thirty CEOs of French companies, including regulars such as Carlos Ghosn (Renault), Jean-Pascal Tricoire (Schneider Electric), Frédéric Oudéa (Société Générale), Patrick Pouyanné (Total) or Olivier Brandicourt (Sanofi), but also newcomers like Elisabeth Ducottet (Thuasne), Octave Klaba (OVH), or Olivier Goy (Lendix).
But one man could be the star of this symposium: Donald Trump, who surprised everyone (once again) by responding positively to the invitation from Klaus Schwab, the founder-organizer, even if his presence is not yet confirmed.
We wonder what influence he will have since his values are far from those advocated by the event’s title.
In fact, it is well-known that the American President’s preferences lean toward the 1% of billionaires of which he is a part, benefiting from the world’s wealth, and of which he is a party.
In this case, his words will weigh heavily with all his political power, the conclusions will be emptied of their content, and the conference will be remembered as a sort of endless appetizer.
