About: energy charter
Time for Europe to draw exit scenarios from the Energy Charter Treaty
If efforts to reform the Energy Charter Treaty do not bear fruit, Europe must urgently consider exiting the agreement, write Pascal Canfin and Anna Cavazzini.
EU pushes for fossil fuel phase-out in ‘last chance’ energy charter treaty talks
The European Union's executive will push for a 10-year phase-out of fossil fuel protection under the energy charter treaty (ECT), following calls from some EU countries to quit the accord unless it can be aligned with Europe's climate goals.
The EU should maintain the Energy Charter Treaty
There are fundamental good reasons to continue protecting the investments covered by the Energy Charter Treaty as private investment will be crucial for the vast infrastructure overhauls needed to shift towards renewable energy, writes Dr Frank Umbach.
Energy Charter Treaty strikes again
The RWE case against the implementation of the Dutch climate target provides additional evidence that EU climate law needs provisions to end protection of foreign investment in fossil fuels, argues Dr Yamina Saheb.
Luxembourg backtracks on Energy Charter Treaty withdrawal
Claude Turmes, the Grand Duchy’s energy minister who used to be at the forefront of calls to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, has backtracked on his earlier statements, saying the EU should first redouble efforts to reform the beleaguered post Soviet-era charter.
Germany’s RWE uses Energy Charter Treaty to challenge Dutch coal phase-out
German energy giant RWE has used the Energy Charter Treaty to claim compensation from the Netherlands over its planned phase-out of coal from the country’s electricity mix by 2030.
France puts EU withdrawal from Energy Charter Treaty on the table
The European Union and its member states should draw the consequences of the current stalemate in multilateral talks aimed at reforming the Energy Charter Treaty and consider a coordinated withdrawal, Paris has said in a letter seen by EURACTIV.
Energy Charter Treaty reform reaches milestone, with little progress to show
A two-day conference of the 54 parties to the Energy Charter Treaty, opening on Wednesday (16 December), will attempt to move forward in reforming the little-known charter, decried by environmentalists for protecting fossil fuel investments and blocking international efforts to curb global warming.
EU, Central Asia touch base virtually in turbulent times
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell and Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen held a teleconference on Tuesday (17 November) with ministers from the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia, with which the EU is trying to forge closer relations.
‘Obsolete’ Energy Charter Treaty must be reformed or ditched, lawmakers say
The 1991 Energy Charter Treaty must be profoundly overhauled in order to remove all “obsolete” provisions protecting fossil fuel investments and hindering climate action, lawmakers from across Europe said on Tuesday (8 September).
Energy Charter Treaty reform: Failure in the first round
The German Presidency should end the comedy of the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty and work on a decision to withdraw en masse from the treaty without further delay, argues Yamina Saheb.
EU must end investment protection in the fossil sector
The Energy Charter Treaty, which dates back to the 1990s, severely restricts Europe's ability to change regulations in the energy sector, with many EU member states facing court actions worth billions of euros, write a group of MEPs. If the treaty cannot be reformed, then it must be scrapped, they argue.
Nord Stream 2: New decisions and clear consequences
On 15 May, the German regulator rejected an application from the gas import pipeline Nord Stream 2 for a derogation from new EU rules. Kim Talus looks at the ongoing judicial proceedings and the consequences of the decision.
‘Not appropriate’: Uniper seeks compensation for Dutch coal phase-out
Uniper is threatening to sue the Dutch government over a plan to phase out coal power by 2030, in a case experts warn could have a chilling effect on climate ambition internationally. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
EU plans to reform Energy Charter Treaty falling short, activists say
An updated European Commission proposal to reform the Energy Charter Treaty is falling short of what’s needed to reinstate governments’ “right to regulate” in areas like climate change, activists say.
Despite controversy, the Energy Charter Treaty is silently being pushed into Africa
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty could cost developing countries money that is urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, argue Pia Eberhardt, Cecilia Olivet and Faith Lumonya.
It’s time to scrap the Energy Charter Treaty
The EU taxpayer is the main loser from the continuation of the Energy Charter Treaty which locks Europe into carbon and energy injustice at a high cost to taxpayers, argues Yamina Saheb.
Nord Stream 2 seeks arbitration in dispute with EU Commission
The Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline consortium filed a notice on Thursday (26 September), asking a tribunal of private arbiters to determine whether the European Union is in breach of its obligations under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).
Europe’s Green Deal is under threat from Energy Charter Treaty
The EU and its member states should collectively withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, which protects fossil fuel investments, and go to the UN Climate Summit in New York with a call to develop a ‘Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of Fossil Fuels’, argues Yamina Saheb.
Luxembourg leads EU push to climate-proof Energy Charter Treaty
Luxembourg will push for a deep reform of the Energy Charter Treaty at EU level in order to align it with global climate objectives, said the country’s energy minister Claude Turmes, who did not rule out scrapping the treaty altogether if reform talks don’t progress fast enough.
EU asserts ‘right to regulate’ as part of energy charter treaty reform
EU member states gave the European Commission a mandate yesterday (15 July) to revise the Energy Charter Treaty, saying the legally-binding charter must reinstate Europe’s “right to regulate” in areas like climate change and workers’ rights.
The Energy Charter Treaty, a case study of ‘business as usual’ in the energy sector
A closer look at the Energy Charter Treaty provides a case study of who really holds power in our increasingly interconnected world, writes Timothy Knickerbocker.
Leaked report reveals ‘misfunctioning’ of Energy Charter Treaty amid EU reform calls
A confidential internal report, obtained by EURACTIV, lists the multiple failings of the Energy Charter secretariat, at a time when the treaty is undergoing a major revision process and is being used by Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline in a first-time legal proceeding against the EU.