Key EU leaders skip the COP31 Leaders Summit in Antalya

The summit in Antalya is taking place without several key European leaders

The Leaders Summit has opened in Antalya — the first high-level event of the annual UN climate conference COP31, where heads of state hold bilateral meetings, set priorities and often build coalitions ahead of negotiations that will run until next week. As Euronews reports, several key figures will not be at the negotiating table: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The leaders of Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands are also absent. The leaders did not explain their reasons for not attending; the outlet suggests that competing domestic and foreign agendas make scheduling difficult.

Who is representing Europe and what COP31 is focused on

The absent countries are nevertheless represented at the broader conference by negotiators and officials who will shape the final text of the agreement — the document that determines how countries coordinate climate action and implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. The EU is officially represented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is delivering a speech on the first day. This year's conference is co-hosted by Turkey and Australia, but the agenda is set by the attending countries. Turkey's presiding Environment Minister Murat Kurum said he wants COP31 to focus on turning climate commitments into real action rather than setting new targets; electrification and waste reduction are named as key themes. Climate Action Network Europe director Chiara Martinelli criticizes the absentees: in her words, they are 'missing more than just a photo opportunity,' and their absence places even greater responsibility on ministers and negotiators.

Nine EU countries at risk of missing emissions targets

On the sidelines of the summit, the European Commission published a report on EU countries' progress in implementing national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the report, Italy, Croatia and Cyprus have already exceeded their targets for the 2021–2025 period, while Austria, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden risk missing the 2030 targets. The Commission will require the nine lagging countries to present a corrective action plan to accelerate emission-reduction measures and investments: European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will send them letters asking them to submit plans within three months. Meanwhile, according to preliminary data from Brussels, total EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.6% last year compared with 2024 and are now 39% below 1990 levels. The Union has set a target of cutting emissions by 90% by 2040 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, but environmental organizations accuse the EU of backsliding over the past two years due to repeated weakening of climate requirements for companies.

USA: no official representation, but Congress has come

The US government is absent from the climate conference for the second year in a row: President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the negotiations, calling climate change a 'hoax.' However, after the Democrats' victory in last week's midterm elections, a delegation of 19 members of Congress decided at the last moment to take part in COP31. The group is led by the nonpartisan institute Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), which stated that delegation members intend to meet with government officials, civil society and business representatives to 'explore opportunities for renewing US participation in shaping climate, energy and economic policy.'