28/09/2021 (Agence Europe) – The NGO CAN Europe once again urged the EU and its Member States to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) on Tuesday 28 September, as the 7th round of negotiations to modernise the treaty began. “It is time for EU member states to recognise that the huge obstacles to reform cannot be overcome”, said Cornelia Maarfield, trade and investment policy coordinator for CAN Europe, as leaked documents recently revealed the lack of progress in the negotiations (see EUROPE 12756/18). Saying that withdrawal is “the only way” to comply with both the Paris Agreement and EU law, CAN Europe also highlighted a new study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) think tank on the implications of a revised treaty for the coal sector. See the IISD study: https://bit.ly/3uhyaTM (DG)