BRUSELAS, 24 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The European Commission on Monday warned Spain and other EU countries that are preparing to leave the Energy Charter Treaty that they will remain subject to the arbitration conditions provided for in the international agreement for another 20 years, despite breaking with him, for which he has summoned them to continue within the pact in order to improve it from within.
"We take note of the announcement by several Member States of their intention to withdraw from the Treaty. The European Commission continues to believe that the result of the modernization of the process that was carried out in June is fully in line with the energy transition and the cause of climate change" , the community spokesperson for Commerce, Miriam García Ferrer, has indicated at a press conference.
At least four countries in the bloc have recently announced their intention to leave the Treaty, considering that it gives greater power to private energy investors to litigate against the States, including France and Spain, but Brussels defends that the changes negotiated within the framework of the Treaty last June and which is expected to be adopted in November would solve these gaps.
Community services emphasize that the review -which requires the support of the majority of partners to move forward in November_ offers greater guarantees for green investments, in a context such as the current one in which the European Union prioritizes investment in the fight against climate change.
"We must be clear about the possible scenarios: Any country that withdraws will be subject to a 20-year clause that means that they will have to continue applying all the rules for two more decades," the community spokesperson has riveted, to emphasize in the reasons why the Commission is in favor of modernizing the Treaty from within.
In this way, the Community Executive believes that abandoning the pact before the negotiated and pending adoption review takes place would give the bloc "a worse result" because the outgoing partners should continue to comply with the rules that favor fossil investments, while the 'green' "would not be protected".
Some fifty countries sign this Treaty designed in 1998 and which allows energy companies, especially those related to fossil fuels, to sue countries before a court system if they consider that the legislation goes against their interests.
The French UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described this treaty as a "serious obstacle to the mitigation of climate change", since it is "incompatible" with the "decarbonization schedules" of the Paris agreements.
