It is EU Green Week this week, and the EU reiterates its ambition to be the first carbon neutral continent. But whilst the EU shows off its climate credentials, a dubious international treaty risks undermining their Green New Deal.
Shrouded in secrecy, the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) was established in 1994 with limited public debate. Initially designed to protect western energy companies investing in former Soviet states from political risk, it now has 53 signatories, including almost all European countries.
The ECT essentially acts as a bodyguard for the fossil fuel industry. Despite current commitments from different governments to phase out fossil fuels, the treaty allows energy corporations to sue the state for policies that might negatively impact their profits. This includes suing governments for investing in renewable forms of energy. So far, 128 cases have been invoked using the ECT. As there is no requirement to make the cases public, the actual number is likely to be far higher.
