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Europe edging closer to withdrawal from Energy Charter Treaty

(EurActiv, 17 May 2022) More European Union countries have shown signs of impatience with the ongoing reform of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which critics say impedes international efforts to phase out fossil fuels, according to leaked diplomatic cables seen by EURACTIV.

Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain are frustrated with attempts to reform the ECT and expressed doubts that the EU can fulfil its mandate of aligning the treaty with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The four countries have invited the European Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 27 EU member states, to assess how a coordinated withdrawal could be initiated according to EU procedures and prepare for “possible exit scenarios in a timely manner,” the leaked cables reveal.

“Spain also made it clear that it would consider an exit scenario, as it did not see how the Energy Charter Treaty could be adapted to the Paris Agreement,” according to the leaked cables, which were translated into English from an unspecified European language.

Japan continues to be a significant obstacle in the talks and has “taken steps backwards in the definition of investment and sustainable development,” which are legal cornerstones of the treaty’s architecture, the cables say.

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EurActiv, 17 May 2022: Europe edging closer to withdrawal from Energy Charter Treaty