Calls for faster wind energy development at Denmark summit

Esbjerg, Denmark (dpa) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for faster development of wind energy at a summit of North Sea states in Denmark.

"We have to be brave ... This is not a job for the future. It's a job for today," he said at the summit in the Danish coastal town of Esbjerg.

Scholz was joined for the meeting by the leaders of Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as by EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The four countries plan both to set new targets for the expansion of offshore wind energy and to commit to other measures designed to strengthen the European renewable energy market.

Addressing the conference, von der Leyen spoke about the EU's plan to to reduce the bloc's dependence on Russian energy, which she first presented earlier on Wednesday.

She also indicated there would be faster approval procedures for wind turbine projects in certain regions of the EU.

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