More cross-border expansion of offshore wind energy and strengthening of the offshore sector: Germany hosting the 2026 international North Sea Summit

The heads of state and government and the energy ministers of the North Sea countries are meeting in Hamburg on Monday, 26 January 2026 for the North Sea Summit in order to discuss the expansion of offshore wind energy in the North Sea and the strengthening of the offshore sector.

At the invitation of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche, nine European countries are joining Germany at the North Sea Summit: Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. The European Commission, NATO and more than 140 representatives of businesses, associations and non-governmental organisations have also accepted the invitation.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche said: “More than ever, the North Sea is a key strategic area for Europe. Together, we are strengthening our economic, security and energy policy interests in the North Sea. The vigorous expansion and smart networking of offshore energy creates affordable, clean and secure energy, reduces strategic dependencies and boosts overall European resilience. The investment pact signed today stabilises the policy framework and safeguards local value creation and high-grade industrial jobs.”

The third North Sea Summit builds on the preceding summits in Denmark in 2022 and in Belgium in 2023, at which the participating states agreed on an ambitious expansion of wind energy in the North Sea region as a response to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis.

The participating states have adopted specific measures. A special focus was placed on strengthening regional coordination and financing the expansion of offshore wind farms and the related electricity grids. The increased construction of “cooperation projects” can make more efficient use of existing sites, reduce costs and improve the resilience of the energy system. “Cooperation projects” are offshore wind farms connected to more than one country, and offshore wind farms connected from the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of other countries. Specifically, the North Sea countries have agreed on cross-border networking of up to 100 GW of generation capacity.

In a joint investment pact between the North Sea countries, the offshore wind industry and the transmission system operators, all the stakeholders have agreed on measures to realise the shared vision of the North Sea region as the world’s largest hub for clean energy. Not least, the North Sea countries aim to establish a stable pipeline of offshore wind auctions reaching beyond 2030, thus providing the wind energy and grid industry with planning and investment security. Based on this, the industry commits to reducing electricity production costs by 30% by 2040, investing €9.5 billion in new production capacities in Europe by 2030, and creating 91,000 additional jobs.

The decisions of the North Sea Summit are set out in the following joint declarations:

• Hamburg Declaration of Heads of State and Government
• Hamburg Declaration of Energy Ministers
• Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Seas between the North Sea countries, the offshore wind industry and the transmission system operators

In addition to this, Energy Minister Katherina Reiche signed the following international agreements on cross-border cooperation projects:

• Joint Declaration of Intent on the Development of Cooperation Projects for an Interconnected Offshore Renewable Energy Grid in the North Seas
• Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation on North Sea Renewable Energy Infrastructure
• Joint Declaration of Intent on a Strategic Partnership on Energy Including Offshore Renewable Energy Cooperation Projects in the Baltic and North Seas

Germany has stated its willingness to assume the co-presidency of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) in 2026, and as such will press ahead with the implementation of the Summit decisions.

Further information:
- Website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the North Sea Summit: www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Nordsee-Gipfel-2026
- Federal Government website on the North Sea Summit: www.nordseegipfel26.de and www.bundesregierung.de/nordseegipfel26

The summit documents can be found here: 2026 North Sea Summit: strengthening European cooperation on offshore wind energy | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy