On behalf of The Left group in the European Parliament, French MEP Emmanuel Maurel and Spain’s Sira Rego welcomed the European Commission’s recognition on Friday 10 February that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which since the 1990s has aimed to encourage European companies to invest in fossil fuels in Central and Eastern European countries, is no longer compatible with the European Union’s 2050 climate neutrality objectives.
The EU institution, which was examining the possibility of withdrawing from the treaty after several countries announced that they wanted to leave it unilaterally (see EUROPE 13079/8), is now calling on Member States to organise a coordinated exit from the treaty, according to a document leaked to the press.
“The decision now rests with the EU Council, which must obtain a qualified majority. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland have already declared that they will leave the ECT and at least nine other countries are considering withdrawing: Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Latvia”, noted the MEPs in a statement. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)