German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosts North Sea summit

Six European leaders have confirmed their attendance at a North Sea summit hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Hamburg on Monday, the third meeting of its kind.

The aim of the talks is to increase cooperation in the energy sector, including expanding offshore wind energy and the hydrogen market across borders.

The leaders attending are Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the leaders of Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands - Micheál Martin, Luc Frieden, Jonas Gahr Støre and Dick Schoof respectively - deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer said in Berlin on Friday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will not be attending, he said.

The energy ministers of all nine countries bordering the North Sea are expected in Hamburg.

The European Union and NATO will also be represented at the meeting, Meyer said.

Energy partnership

According to Merz, the North Sea is set to become the "largest reservoir of clean energy in the world."

The talks are expected to include plans for an efficient and networked offshore infrastructure, which is to be developed across the entire North Sea region.

The energy ministers plan to meet for dinner in Hamburg on Sunday evening, before the summit begins on Monday afternoon.

A joint stakeholder conference with the energy ministers and over 100 business representatives is also planned.

This is the first time that Germany has organized the North Sea summit. The first two gatherings were held in the Belgian port city of Ostend and in the port of Esbjerg in Denmark.