Overcoming inconsistencies between the Energy Charter Treaty and multilateral agreements in favour of development

This opinion concerns decisions to be made before the important deadline of June 2022 in the context of the ongoing renegotiation process of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) that was concluded in the 1990s. This deadline is an opportunity to overcome the inconsistencies of the ECT with European law and a series of inconsistencies with more recent political agreements. These agreements include the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change adopted by the 196 Parties of the COP21 and the series of initiatives for the European Green Deal taken to help the European Union (EU) achieve the development objectives of these agreements by 2030 and 2050. The implementation of these commitments would make trade a coherent instrument for sustainable development, as trade policy choices are no longer limited to the alternative of favouring free trade or protectionist withdrawal.