The European Commission has confirmed that it has contacted the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) Secretariat with a view to having the adoption of the agreement to modernise the ECT removed from the agenda of the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November due to divisions within the Council of the European Union.
On the evening of Friday 18 November, the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) failed to agree on a common EU position on this international trade and investment agreement, which was concluded in the early 1990s to protect investments in the energy sector.
France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain did not support the Czech Presidency’s draft EU Council decision to “raise no objections” to the adoption of the agreement in principle on the modernisation of the ECT reached between the contracting parties to the Treaty, including the EU (represented by the Commission), last June (see EUROPE 13057/4, 12979/10).
Faced with this blocking minority, the EU Council was forced to acknowledge its inability to provide a mandate to the Commission for the Energy Charter Conference.
Asked about the ECT Secretariat’s response on Monday 21 November, the Commission said that discussions were still ongoing.
For its part, the European Parliament is preparing to vote on a draft resolution on the modernisation of the treaty on Thursday 24 November. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)