For independent and secure energy in Europe

Greater cross-border cooperation on expanding offshore wind energy and hydrogen infrastructure: this is the aim of the third international North Sea Summit, which will take place in Hamburg on 26 January. This will be the first time that Germany has hosted the summit.

Invited guests include the heads of state and government as well as energy ministers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the European Commission, as well as Iceland and NATO for the first time. Over 100 company representatives will also take part in the summit.

Setting the course for an independent energy supply

At the announcement of the summit, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised that collaboration in the North Sea is of critical importance for an economically strong, secure and independent Europe. He said that all of the participants are united around the goal of "developing the North Sea into the largest reservoir of clean energy in the world" and that this is the course to be charted in Hamburg.

Advancing the expansion of offshore wind energy

The main aim is to improve cooperation between the countries bordering the North Sea in order to promote the expansion of offshore wind energy and hydrogen infrastructure in the region. A further goal is to pursue efficient and interconnected energy infrastructure throughout the North Sea region with renewed ambition both at EU level and around the North Sea itself.

The North Sea Summit was first held in Esbjerg, Denmark, in 2022 and most recently in Ostend, Belgium, in 2023. It was created as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in order to help Europe reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports, particularly from Russia. The primary aim is to intensify cooperation for more offshore wind energy.

Specific agreements planned

The Federal Chancellor will welcome the heads of state and government to Hamburg on the morning of 26 January, with talks mainly taking place at Hamburg's City Hall and its Chamber of Commerce. The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katherina Reiche, will host a dinner for the energy ministers the evening before. Outcomes will be documented in intergovernmental summit declarations, and there are further expectations for agreements between North Sea states on cooperation projects and an agreement with industry.