Merkel announces plans to attend Copenhagen

The announcement comes only days after leaders at the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore said they did not expect a major breakthrough at the talks. According to Merkel’s spokesman, these low expectations are partly why the chancellor has decided to attend.

A former environment minister, she wants to play an active role in ensuring that the participating countries reach more ambitious agreements. Merkel isn't the first European leader to announce plans to personally travel to the Danish capital.

But as Europe's largest economy and one of the greenest countries on the planet, Germany is certain to play a major role in the negotiations. However, some politicians and experts are skeptical about the chancellor's plans.