On 26 January 2026, the third international North Sea Summit took place in Hamburg, bringing together heads of government and state as well as energy and environment ministers from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway, alongside representatives from the European Commission and, for the first time, Iceland and NATO. In addition, more than 100 business representatives took part.
The aim of the summit was to promote cross-border cooperation in the expansion of offshore wind energy to strengthen Europe’s energy resilience, security of supply and competitiveness.
1. Joint decisions
The results were recorded in a joint “Hamburg Declaration” as well as in other intergovernmental summit declarations and cooperation projects. In addition, an action plan (Hamburg Declaration of Energy Ministers) was agreed upon by the energy ministers to implement these steps.
1.1 Hamburg Declaration
At the heart of the results is the Hamburg Declaration, which was adopted by the participating states and ministries. It is intended to be a response to the current geopolitical and energy industry challenges and to strengthen cooperation in the expansion and protection of offshore energy infrastructure in the North Sea region. The aim is to make expansion more efficient and reduce costs. In the Hamburg Declaration, the states agreed to jointly connect up to 100 gigawatts (GW) of installed offshore wind capacity across borders. An Offshore Financing Framework (OFF) is to be based on existing financing instruments and enable large joint project sets. The countries welcome the existing plans of the Offshore TSO Collaboration (OTC) and project developers to implement cooperation projects with a capacity of up to 20 GW in the 2030s.
The coastal states also commit to greater planning security and improved investment conditions for offshore energy projects. This includes, among other things, more stable tendering procedures and risk reduction for private investors, as well as the protection of supply chains.
Cooperation is also intended to promote the expansion of offshore hydrogen production, transport and storage, including the corresponding supply chains, in order to advance the hydrogen infrastructure in the North Sea and make it more efficient. A roadmap for the coordination of offshore energy networks is to be completed in time for the next summit.
Due to increasing threats, the security and resilience of offshore energy infrastructure was also a focus of attention. Participants want to strengthen multilateral security cooperation, with the support of NATO where appropriate. The importance of “security by design” was emphasised once again, as was the importance of standardising HVDC components to enable rapid repairs.
1.2 Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Seas
Representatives of the North Sea states, the offshore wind industry and transmission system operators (TSOs) also signed the Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Seas. Accordingly, the North Sea countries are aiming for a “stable pipeline of offshore wind tenders beyond 2030” in order to achieve an annual European installation capacity of 15 GW between 2031 and 2040. In addition, mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are to be used to create a solid investment framework. In return, the industry commits to “reducing electricity production costs by 30 per cent by 2040”. In addition, €9.5 billion is to be invested in new production capacity in Europe by 2030, creating 91,000 additional jobs.
1.3 Bornholm Energy Island
In addition, Germany and Denmark reached a bilateral agreement on the sidelines of the summit to jointly promote the wind farm as part of the Bornholm Energy Island cooperation project. The plan is to build an electricity hub on the Danish island of Bornholm that will transmit offshore wind power to Germany and Denmark.
Declarations of intent were also heard from industry. The British grid operator National Grid Ventures and Tennet Deutschland announced plans to connect German and British offshore wind farms.
2. Significance for the energy market and industry
The results of the third international North Sea Summit are not only political objectives but are also seen by the business community as significant impetus for the energy transition. Industry players regard the joint investment framework as an important step towards accelerating the expansion of renewable energies in Europe. The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) has welcomed the decisions “expressly” and is calling for “stable expansion paths, investment-friendly tendering frameworks and significantly stronger European cooperation”. Supporters include the mechanical engineering association VDMA Power Systems, which sees the summit as “a clear signal for offshore wind energy,” and the Hydrogen Network Operators of the Northern Seas (HyNOS), signatories to the Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Seas, for whom the pact lays “the foundation for offshore hydrogen production in the northern seas.”
3. Summary
Even though the summit declarations merely reflect political consensus and are neither binding nor usually result in binding agreements with commitments regarding resources or timetables, the 3rd North Sea Summit in Hamburg marks another milestone in European cooperation on the energy transition. The central Hamburg Declaration and the joint investment pact for offshore wind energy place a clear focus on the accelerated development of cross-border offshore wind farms, energy networks and infrastructure mechanisms. With a major target of 100 GW of connected offshore wind capacity and the confirmation of long-term expansion targets of up to 300 GW by 2050, the North Sea states are underlining their commitment to clean, resilient and affordable energy in Europe.
