During the North Sea Summit 2026 in Hamburg, countries around the North Sea further deepened their cooperation on offshore energy. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, high energy prices and increasing climate impacts, leaders and energy ministers agreed to work together towards a stable, secure and affordable offshore energy system, with a benchmark of at least 100 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040.
The summit brought together EU Member States from the North Sea region alongside Norway, Iceland and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives of the European Commission and NATO. The central message was clear: the North Sea must evolve into a single, integrated energy system, in which national borders play an ever smaller role.
While offshore wind has so far been developed largely at national level, the focus is now shifting to cross-border coordination. Countries agreed to better align their tender procedures, planning and grid development, so that projects reinforce rather than compete with each other. This is expected to lead to lower costs, faster delivery and a more resilient energy system.
A key element of this approach is the development of offshore energy hubs and interconnectors, enabling electricity and hydrogen to be exchanged efficiently between countries. This allows renewable energy to flow more freely across Europe and further reduces dependence on fossil fuel imports.
During the summit, several declarations and statements of intent were signed, including a Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact and the Hamburg Declaration. These documents set out concrete actions and timelines to accelerate investment in offshore infrastructure and reduce risks.
Alongside scale and speed, security is also a major theme. Countries committed to closer cooperation to protect offshore energy infrastructure against physical and cyber threats. In an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, energy infrastructure is explicitly recognised as strategically and socially critical.
Implementation of the agreements will take place through the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), an established platform with extensive experience in cross-border offshore projects. The European Commission acts as co-chair, ensuring alignment with broader European policy. The agreements tie in directly with the European Grids Package and the Affordable Energy Action Plan, which aim to improve grid planning, accelerate permitting and ensure a fair distribution of costs and benefits between countries. Cooperation with the European Investment Bank is also underway to mobilise financing through instruments such as InvestEU.
According to Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, the direction is clear: Europe must choose clean, secure and home-grown energy sources. The North Sea plays a key role in this vision, given its vast offshore wind potential and its strategic position between major industrial clusters and energy markets.
With the agreements reached in Hamburg, an important step has been taken towards an integrated North Sea as an energy hub for North-West Europe. Not as a collection of national ambitions, but as a shared system that contributes to energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness.
Want to know more?
The full declarations, including the action plan and the offshore financing framework, are available via publications of the European Commission and the North Seas Energy Cooperation:
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-welcomes-renewed-commitment-power-clean-independent-and-secure-offshore-energy-north-seas-2026-01-26_en
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