05/01/2021 (Agence Europe) – According to the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) Secretariat’s preliminary schedule adopted on 16 December, the fourth round of negotiations on the modernisation of the ECT is scheduled to take place from 2 March to 5 March. So far, the discussions have not led to any major breakthroughs, whereas criticism denouncing the incompatibility of this treaty with the Paris Agreement’s climate objectives is growing (see EUROPE 12618/10 and 12594/11). At the EU level, the European Commission is currently working on a document that complements its initial proposal, dated May 2020, in order to modernise the treaty. This text—a provisional version of which we previously examined in detail (see EUROPE 12591/17)—will have to be approved by Member States before it is submitted to the Secretariat. Furthermore, the European Commission recently stated that it is not ruling out exiting the ECT if the outcome of the negotiations is not satisfactory (see EUROPE 12615/35). See the preliminary schedule: https://bit.ly/38dMymz (DG)