On Wednesday 24 April in Strasbourg, MEPs approved by a very large majority (560 votes in favour, 43 against and 27 abstentions) the recommendation of the INTA and ITRE parliamentary committees (see EUROPE 13387/30) to approve the proposal to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty.
This multilateral agreement was established in 1994 to facilitate international cooperation and provide a framework for investment protection, trade and dispute settlement in the energy field.
The European Commission has proposed a coordinated withdrawal of the European Union and its Member States in July 2023 after trying to find a way out of the stalemate in negotiations on the modernisation of the treaty. It believes that the treaty is simply no longer compatible with the EU’s climate objectives (see EUROPE 13218/6).
The Member States approved this proposal collectively at ministerial level on 7 March (see EUROPE 13366/9), while a number of countries have already withdrawn individually, including Italy, France, Germany and Poland.
The day before, during a debate in the Chamber, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, firmly stated that remaining within the treaty was “not an option” for the European Union, given its incompatibility with the EU’s energy and climate policies, leaving the door open to multiple risks.
She also pointed out that the Commission had launched a parallel procedure on 1 March to approve the agreement to modernise the treaty before the Union fully withdrew from it (see EUROPE 13363/4).
“Following the Union’s withdrawal from the ECT, the Commission, in the context of its right of initiative, will discuss and evaluate the conditions and arrangements for the Member States to remain within a modernised treaty. In this context, the withdrawal of the EU and the modernisation proposal should progress in parallel and be adopted by the Council as a package”, said the Commissioner.
The European Parliament co-rapporteur, Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, German), welcomed the fact that there was a great deal of unity in the Chamber on this issue, “with the exception of the far right, which is ridiculous and is disrupting the debates, but that’s nothing new. (...) The European Parliament’s position remains very clear”.
She also expressed the hope that the next Commission would push ahead with the reform of investment policies in general.
In the same vein, co-rapporteur Marc Botenga (The Left, Belgian) said that withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty could be likened to “a foot in the door with which to open the debate on the EU’s entire trade and socio-economic policy”.
To see the European Parliament recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/bxm (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)