European Parliament committees vote to withdraw EU from the Energy Charter Treaty

(EurActiv, 9 Apr 2024) Today (Tuesday 9 April) the Parliament’s trade and energy committees voted to support the EU withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), with 58 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in favour, eight against, and two abstaining.

The ECT is an international treaty signed by 50 countries. It was created in 1994, as a way to foster cooperation between states on energy matters and generate and protect investment in energy ventures in post-Soviet countries. 

Following the vote, the trade committee’s rapporteur on the file, Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA), hailed the vote as “a major step in the right direction” and welcomed the EU’s anticipated exit from the “climate-hostile” ECT.

To climate activists, as well as some MEPs and member states, the ECT is viewed as an outdated treaty that harms countries’ climate goals because it enables fossil fuel companies to protect their investments. 

This legal protection led to companies suing member states for shutting down fossil fuel plants and administering renewable energy subsidies. 

The Parliament’s vote follows the European Commission’s proposal for a coordinated EU exit from the treaty, presented last month, after several EU countries had left, or signalled their intention to leave the ECT.

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EurActiv, 9 Apr 2024: European Parliament committees vote to withdraw EU from the Energy Charter Treaty