DAVOS (Reuters) - 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 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.

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.

The European Union wants to engage and negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, warning of the risk of a "global race to the bottom" using tools such as tariffs.

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.