EU leaders skip COP31 summit, shifting climate burden to ministers

Several key European leaders, including Germany's Chancellor Merz, France's President Macron, Italy's Prime Minister Meloni, and Spain's Prime Minister Sánchez, are skipping the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Antalya, Türkiye, which begins today. Their absence shifts greater responsibility onto ministers and negotiators to demonstrate Europe's commitment to climate action. The Leaders' Summit is a high-level gathering where heads of state hold private meetings, make speeches, and form coalitions to shape negotiation positions. Critics like Chiara Martinelli of Climate Action Network Europe say the absent leaders are missing more than a photo opportunity, while the European Commission reported this week that nine EU countries are off track to meet their 2030 emissions targets. The summit, hosted by Türkiye and Australia, will focus on turning commitments into action, with electrification and waste reduction as key themes. No US government officials are attending for the second year, though a delegation of 19 congress members made a last-minute decision to attend following the Democrats' midterm victory.