Policy paper

Joint Declaration of Intent on establishing a United Kingdom - Germany hydrogen partnership

Published 26 September 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (‘The United Kingdom’) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany, (hereinafter jointly referred to as “the Participants” and in the singular as “a Participant”), wish to further promote their friendship and strategic partnership to address climate change and accelerate the global energy transition. Acknowledging that renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives will play an essential role in meeting global energy needs and decarbonising our industries, Participants intend to deepen their cooperation in the field of hydrogen, in particular from renewable sources. This cooperation will accelerate the expansion of the hydrogen economy in the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany, support the development of regional and global hydrogen markets advance research and innovation and further promote trade and investment opportunities in hydrogen and related industries in both markets. 

Considering:

• the importance of the bilateral relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom, and the common interest of the Participants
• the importance both Participants assign to supporting the production, distribution, trade, and use of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “hydrogen”) globally
• the mutual commitments of both Participants to deliver on their Nationally Determined Contributions as part of the Paris Agreement
• the role hydrogen will play in supporting the Participants’ commitments under the Paris Agreement as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• the mutual recognition of the important role hydrogen will play in the global energy mix and supporting decarbonisation
• the mutual recognition of the importance of hydrogen as a reliable energy supply for economic and energy security purposes, recognising the shifting geopolitical landscape
• the opportunities presented by the growth of global hydrogen markets for trade, investment and economic advancement in the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany
• the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the North Seas Energy Cooperation on offshore renewable energy cooperation ^{[footnote 1]}
• the obligations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and United Kingdom ^{[footnote 2]} which includes provisions on Energy
• the importance of cooperation between Participants on the topics of climate and energy

The Participants have thus reached the following understanding:

Paragraph 1: Purpose

The purpose of this Joint Declaration of Intent (JDoI) is to promote and strengthen the Participants’ collaboration and cooperation in respect of key areas (see Paragraph 2) critical to accelerating the development of a hydrogen economy.

Paragraph 2: Planned areas of cooperation

Each Participant will, subject to the laws, rules, regulations and national policies governing the subject matter in their respective countries, endeavour to encourage and promote strategic and technical cooperation for mutual benefit in areas set out below:

1. Accelerating deployment of hydrogen projects in the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany – focusing on demand readiness for different users and locations, networks and storage infrastructure, sector and supply chain development;

2. Establishing international leadership to support the development of regional and global hydrogen markets. Focusing on standards and certification as well as broader environmental, safety and other regulatory requirements that would facilitate large scale trade in hydrogen and derivatives;

3. Advancing collaborative bilateral and multilateral Research and Innovation (R&I) efforts that will support hydrogen production, infrastructure, and supply chains and end use, based on the existing, long-lasting collaboration networks in R&I between both countries in energy- and hydrogen-related research;

4. Promoting trade opportunities pertaining to hydrogen as well as hydrogen related goods, technologies and services;

5. Exploring financial support mechanisms through joint market analysis to help inform government and industry investment planning;

6. Other subject areas as the Participants may jointly decide.

Paragraph 3: Forms of cooperation

The Participants plan to encourage cooperation, collaboration and knowledge exchange on mutually beneficial hydrogen related issues in both countries. The cooperation described in Paragraph 2 of this JDoI may include the following:

1. Exchange of publicly available scientific and technical information;

2. Support and encouragement of academia, research and development institutes and the private sector to work together in joint projects and exchange expertise;

3. Facilitation of dialogue through organisation of conferences, workshops and other meetings on agreed topics;

4. Encouragement of private sector companies and industry bodies to cooperate closely and to explore further business opportunities;

5. Provision of technical assistance and other support through relevant projects, subject to the necessary approvals;

6. Other forms of cooperation as may be determined jointly by the Participants in writing.

Paragraph 4: Funding

1. This JDoI will not involve or envisage the transfer of financial resources between the Participants.

2. The Participants concur that all costs arising from the cooperation activities under this JDoI should be assumed by the Participant that incurs them, unless otherwise determined jointly by the Participants in writing.

3. Each Participant intends to conduct the activities provided in the JDoI subject to all applicable laws and regulations, as well as rules applicable to the budgetary assignment, availability and deployment of resources and personnel.  The Participants intend to establish jointly, in writing, the details for the financing of each particular cooperation activity before commencing such activity.

Paragraph 5: Designated authorities

The designated authorities responsible for the implementation of this JDoI will be the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom. Each Participant will designate a primary point of contact to coordinate the overall cooperation between the Participants for the areas described in Paragraph 2.

Paragraph 6: Implementation and responsibilities

1. The Participants will convene a joint Working Group;

2. The aim of the Working Group is to identify collaboration opportunities, to coordinate activities to be conducted under this JDoI and decide on the specific actions through which each topic will be addressed meaningfully;

3. The agenda, time and place of the meetings will be jointly decided upon by the Participants;

4. The host Participant will chair the meeting. For meetings with no obvious host, including meetings held by videoconference, the Participants will jointly decide the chairperson in advance of the meeting;

5. The Participants will conduct an annual review of activities under the JDoI, with a view to exchanging information on progress and consideration of future collaboration opportunities. The Working Group will serve as the mechanism for this review and update their respective Ministers accordingly;

6. The Participants understand that each Participant will bear its own internal and external costs incurred in connection with the Working Group meetings;

7. Relevant departments/ ministries will be involved in areas of cooperation that are led by those departments/ ministries.

Paragraph 7: Intellectual property 

If any intellectual property rights arise from the application of this JDoI, the Participants will address them in a separate and appropriate instrument. 

Paragraph 8: Confidentiality 

The Participants recognise that to facilitate the objectives of this JDoI, information may pass between them. The sharing of information under this JDoI should be subject to the following requirements:  

1. The Participants may only use the information for purposes to further the objectives of this JDoI;

2. The Participants may only disclose any part of the information to a third party if the Participant wishing to disclose the information seeks and obtains prior written consent from the other, except in circumstances described in subparagraph (3);

3. In circumstances where either Participant is legally obliged to disclose any information related to this JDoI under applicable legislation, by court order or for another reason, it will inform the other Participant before doing so;

4. The provision of this Paragraph will remain in effect even after the expiration of this JDoI.

Paragraph 9: General considerations

1. The Participants intend to amicably resolve any questions concerning implementation of this JDoI through mutual consultation and negotiation.

2. This JDoI constitutes an expression of the Participants’ good faith intention to engage in the collaboration described herein.

3. This JDoI does not constitute an international treaty or create any rights or obligations under domestic or international law.

4. This JDoI does not affect the obligations arising from membership of the Federal Republic of Germany in the European Union.

5. This JDoI is applicable from the date of its signature and will continue to have effect for a period of five years. It will be extended automatically for successive periods of two years unless one of the Participants informs the other in writing through diplomatic channels of its intention to end its participation on three months’ notice.

6. A Participant may end its participation at any time and should inform the other Participant writing through diplomatic channels of its intention to end its participation on three months’ notice.

7. This JDoI may be amended by mutual written consent of the Participants at any time. The amendments will come into effect upon signature by both Participants.

Signed in Berlin on 26 September 2023 in duplicate in German and in English, both texts being equally valid.

For the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the Government of the United Kingdom

Lord Martin Callanan
Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance

For the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany

Dr. Philipp Nimmermann
State Secretary

1. Memorandum of Understanding on offshore renewable energy cooperation between the participants of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), of the one side, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other side - signed on 18 December 2022. ↩

2. Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part (30 December 2020). ↩