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ECT

NGOs call on Government to leave Energy Charter Treaty as new claim emerges
21-Nov-2025 Leah Sullivan
Civil society groups are calling on the Government to leave the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and reject ISDS, as a new threat emerges over the government’s refusal to grant an exploration licence to an oil and gas company.
Luxembourg eco-investors helped sink condemned energy treaty
21-Nov-2025 Luxembourg Times
Funds used fossil-fuel friendly tool to fight back when countries pulled renewable energy incentives, hurting their green investments.
Dutch Supreme Court rejects Russia’s final appeal in $50B Yukos case
5-Nov-2025 AP
The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday rejected a final appeal by Russia against a $50 billion arbitration award to former shareholders of Russian oil giant Yukos, who claimed Moscow deliberately bankrupted the company more than 20 years ago.
Romania withdraws from the Energy Charter Treaty
30-Oct-2025 Energy World
The Government has approved a draft law approving Romania’s withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
19-Sep-2025 Drilled
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
Annulment insurance and disposal of Italian assets
3-Sep-2025 Rockhopper
Rockhopper has drafted new request for arbitration against Italy and expects to submit it in the coming weeks.
EU refers Hungary to the highest court
18-Jul-2025 Kosova Press
The European Commission has referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union for refusing to comply with a key European Union ruling on investor-state arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty.
Aftershock in Groningen
2-Jul-2025 SOMO
How Shell and ExxonMobil use arbitration to offload the costs of closing the Netherlands’ largest gas field.
Spain makes first payment in lengthy renewable energy fight
5-Jun-2025 Bloomberg
The Spanish government made its first payment as a result of an arbitration decision in 2021 around the country’s move to change investor incentives tied to renewable energy projects, following a number of lengthy legal battles between Spain and various creditors.
Recent fossil fuel arbitration claims based on the ECT: the urgency of neutralizing the sunset clause
23-May-2025 Veblen
The Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”), the most widely used investment treaty, has become highly controversial for enabling investors to challenge national policies aimed at achieving climate goals through its ISDS mechanism, leading to a phenomenon known as “regulatory chill.
Energy Charter Treaty irrelevant to Africa
15-Apr-2025 Monitor
The Energy Charter Treaty not only locks countries into outdated fossil fuel investments but also hampers their ability to pursue sustainable, climate-friendly energy policies.
British oil company files lawsuit against Kazakhstan
26-Mar-2025 Azernews
British oil and gas company Victoria Oil & Gas has filed a lawsuit against Kazakhstan, citing provisions under the Energy Charter Treaty.
EU Commission tells Spain not to pay up in long-running renewable subsidies case
25-Mar-2025 Reuters
The European Commission handed Spain a victory when it instructed the country not to pay any compensation in a case related to claims amounting to billions of euros on renewable energy subsidies cut more than a decade ago.
Romania loses Washington lawsuit over Dobrogea wind farm
20-Mar-2025 Romania Journal
The Romanian state has lost a lawsuit pending before the International Court of Arbitration in Washington, initiated in 2020 by an investor in the renewable energy sector.
Romania wins EUR 256 mln arbitration with solar parks investors
21-Jan-2025 Romania-Insider
Romania has won an international arbitration case brought by investors in renewable energy, avoiding EUR 256 million in claimed damages.
Commission must stop Energy Charter Treaty hijacking EU climate policy
18-Dec-2024 Euractiv
The Energy Charter Treaty allow fossil fuel investors to sue EU member states before international arbitral tribunals to challenge climate mitigation measures. This legal mechanism is increasingly weaponized by the industry.
“Shocking and sad”: how corporations use investment agreements to block decarbonisation in the Global South
12-Dec-2024 Land and Climate Review
Experts talk about investor-state dispute settlements, which allow fossil fuel companies to bring multi-billion dollar lawsuits against countries that pass green policies.
Civil society organisations push for transformative global investment rules
11-Dec-2024 SOMO
The Entebbe Declaration calls for justice and sustainability in global investment governance.
The Energy Charter Treaty remains the most dangerous investment treaty to the energy transition
4-Dec-2024 E3G
Our ranking reveals that the Energy Charter Treaty remains the most dangerous investment treaty to the energy transition by protecting over 300 megatonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Charter Treaty modernisation adopted, still undermines climate action
3-Dec-2024 Friends of the Earth Europe
Even after modernisation, the ECT continues to undermine European and global climate policies.