‘More than just a photo opportunity’: Why are key EU leaders skipping the COP31 Leaders’ Summit?

EU and world leaders will meet today at the UN climate summit in Antalya - but a few key figures will be missing from the negotiating table.The Leaders’ Summit is held at the beginning of the annual COP (Conference of the Parties) and is the first high-level gathering of the summit. Leaders have one-to-one meetings to discuss the positions they will take during the negotiations, which stretch into next week, and sometimes form coalitions.Germany’s Chancellor Merz, France’s President Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni, and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are all said to be missing the Leaders’ Summit, which spans today and tomorrow. Sánchez has been particularly outspoken on the climate crisis and its effects, often after extreme weather in Spain.Criticising the absences, Chiara Martinelli, Director of Climate Action Network Europe, says the absent leaders are “missing more than just a photo opportunity. Their absence will not stop the negotiations, but it puts even more responsibility on the ministers and negotiators who are here to show that Europe and other developed countries are serious about delivery.” Nine countries in the European Union are on track to fall short of their emissions-cutting targets for 2030, Brussels said this week.What will the focus of COP31 be?At the Leaders’ Summit, heads of state pose for a ‘family photo’