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ECT

Climate change expert report warns that ISDS can block climate action
6-Apr-2022 AFTINET
For the first time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that climate action is being jeopardised by trade agreements which give global corporations the right to sue governments.
‘Renewable’ energy in Tunisia: an unjust transition
1-Apr-2022 TNI
Following the principles set out in the ECT, the EU is seeking to deepen liberalization in order to standardize the Tunisian legislative framework through FTA negotiations.
Calls to ditch ’ecocide treaty’ after failed reform efforts
24-Mar-2022 EU Observer
Environmentalists and energy experts have been warning for years over an obscure trade deal that could lock Europe into decades of fossil fuel use.
Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) reform: Why it has failed to deliver on the EU’s own objectives
4-Mar-2022 Both Ends
From a climate perspective, the expected reform outcome is a failure. No Contracting Party will end investment protection for fossil fuels in a timeline that is necessary to align with the Paris Agreement.
An energy investment treaty has been holding Nord Stream 2 hostage
28-Feb-2022 Climate Home News
The German government has been worried about being sued by the fossil fuel companies behind the Russian gas pipeline under the Energy Charter Treaty.
UK, Switzerland accused of undermining EU green treaty reforms
26-Jan-2022 Climate Home News
Campaigners say the UK and Switzerland are defending fossil fuel interests in Energy Charter Treaty modernisation talks to tempt firms to relocate their HQs.
Investor–state disputes in the fossil fuel industry
24-Jan-2022 IISD
The fossil fuel industry is the most litigious industry in the ISDS system by number of cases, accounting for almost 20% of the total known ISDS cases across all sectors.
Energy Charter Treaty claim pushes Slovenia to weaken fracking rules
17-Jan-2022 Friends of the Earth Europe
A new example of how this secretive corporate court system is undermining climate and environmental policies of EU member states has been brought to light.
Cop26 targets pushed back under threat of being sued
17-Jan-2022 Capital Monitor
Countries party to the Energy Charter Treaty are under yet more pressure to reform the agreement following the Cop26 climate summit, as they weigh the benefits of climate action against the likelihood of getting sued.
Energy Charter Treaty: stalled reform fuels EU fears for climate
21-Dec-2021 Investigate Europe
European governments are losing patience in talks to modernise the controversial Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), according to leaked documents.
Investment governance in Africa to support climate resilience and decarbonization
13-Dec-2021 Afronomics Law
African nations should not be expected to take the lead in addressing a climate emergency they did not create. The priority for Africa is to receive support and investment to build resilience and adapt to climate impacts.
Landmark ruling reveals misuse of Energy Charter Treaty
18-Nov-2021 EU Observer
The Belgian Appeal Court delivered a landmark ruling in what Kazakhstan’s legal representatives described as "one of the biggest frauds in the history of international arbitration."
Governments risk ’trillions’ in fossil fuel climate litigation
16-Nov-2021 France 24
Governments which enact climate legislation risk being sued for trillions of dollars by fossil fuel companies seeking compensation for lost revenue and stranded assets.
Campaign win: Australia cuts ties with Energy Charter Treaty (ECT)
8-Nov-2021 AFTINET
In a significant step forward in the campaign against Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS), Australia has announced its withdrawal from its signatory status to the Energy Charter Treaty.
Secretive court system poses threat to Paris climate deal, says whistleblower
4-Nov-2021 The Guardian
Treaty allows energy corporations to sue governments for billions over policies that could hurt their profits.
Big Coal tapping obscure treaty could chill green revolution
29-Oct-2021 Bloomberg
Coal plant owners are using this little-known mechanism to try and recoup billions from governments who are forcing them to shut down polluting plants
Fossil fuel companies claiming 18bn against government climate action in secret courts
28-Oct-2021 Global Justice Now
Courts allow big polluters to sue governments into “a state of climate paralysis”, campaigners say.
Companies cannot use ECT to sue governments for climate progress, top court says
2-Sep-2021 Client Earth
Environmental organisations have hailed a court decision that could mean the end of a little-known legal mechanism that poses a massive threat to climate action.
Kazakhstan would ‘welcome’ new arbitration in Stati dispute
24-Aug-2021 Emerging Europe
Kazakhstan has welcomed what it calls an opportunity for an independent arbitral tribunal to carry out “a free and fair review of the Statis’ fraud”.
Death by a thousand treaties
20-Aug-2021 The Ecologist
Governments must urgently terminate all international investment treaties in force, in particular the Energy Charter Treaty, and stop negotiating new ones.