RSVP: Protecting Critical North Sea Infrastructure

The British Embassy, EIES and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) cordially invite you to a Kensington Growth Series Roundtable on 18 November 2025 in Berlin.

The British Embassy has launched the ‘Kensington Series’ of events following the signing of the Kensington Treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany in July 2025. The Treaty sets out to deepen cooperation between the two countries on defence, economic growth, and energy security. As Germany prepares to host the North Sea Summit III in Hamburg in January 2026, governments are focusing on the opportunities that regional cooperation offers to harness the North Sea as a source of energy security for Europe.  

This Expert Roundtable will focus on collective security of offshore critical energy infrastructure, with particular attention to protecting wind energy assets against hybrid threats. We look forward to engaging with you in a discussion (in English) on partnerships, infrastructure protection strategies, and military and law enforcement responses with NATO and European partners, amongst others.

  • 📅 Date: 18 November; 10:00 - 12:00, followed by a lunch until 13:00

  • 📍 Location: The British Embassy Berlin, Wilhelmstraße 70, 10117 Berlin 

  • ⏰ (Preliminary) Agenda: 

    • 10:00 – 10:10 ☕Welcome & Introduction by Andrew Mitchell CMG, HM Ambassador to Germany, British Embassy Berlin

    • 10:10 – 10:15 🗣️Opening Remarks by Sabrina Schulz, Director Germany, EIES

    • 10:15 – 10:25⚡Input by Göran Swistek, Commander, German Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg)

    • 10:25 – 10:35⚡ Input by Lauren Wallington, Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy, Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC)

    • 10:35 – 11:40 🗣️Comment by Ferdinand Alexander Gehringer, Policy Advisor, Internal Security and Cybersecurity, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

    • 10:40 – 11:45 🗣️Comment by Sam Emery, Deputy Director, National Security and Response, UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

    • 10:45 – 11:45 🎤Discussion moderated by Captain Phil Tilden, Royal Navy, Naval Attaché, British Embassy Berlin 

    • 11:45 – 12:00 ✅ Summary of Key Outcomes

    • 12:00 – 13:00 🍽️Joint Lunch

The event will be held under Chatham House Rule. The discussions will form the basis of a policy paper to be published after the event.