06/03/24 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 6 March, the Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the European Union (Coreper) validated the European Commission’s proposal, published in July, for a coordinated withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) (see EUROPE 13218/6). The European ministers should then adopt this proposal on Thursday 7 March, when they meet as part of the Competitiveness Council (see other news). At the same time, on 1 March, the Commission published a proposal giving the Member States the option of approving the agreement to modernise the Treaty, while mentioning that the 27 will not be able to remain contracting parties to the ECT once the Union withdraws from it, “unless they are authorised to do so by the Union” (see EUROPE 13363/4). (PLD)