Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Energy Charter Treaty

Tuesday 28 February 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Olivia Blake asked the Minister about discussions with EU counterparts on the potential scope of a co-ordinated withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
  • The Minister stated that no discussions have taken place and that the EU does not have an agreed position on the matter.
  • The Minister acknowledged the need to modernize the treaty to prevent it from hindering climate change efforts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Olivia Blake Lab Sheffield Hallam
Brexit Energy
Context

The Energy Charter Treaty allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments for loss of profits due to decarbonisation efforts. Several EU countries and institutions have called for a coordinated withdrawal.

Question

What discussions has the Minister had with his EU counterparts on the potential scope of a co-ordinated withdrawal from the energy charter treaty?

Answer from Graham Stuart

I have not held discussions with EU counterparts on the scope of co-ordinated withdrawal from the energy charter treaty and note that the EU itself does not have an agreed position as yet. We are closely monitoring the situation on the ECT.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide any details about discussions or agreements with EU counterparts, nor did he address the scope of a coordinated withdrawal.

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Q2 Olivia Blake Lab Sheffield Hallam
Climate Brexit Foreign Affairs
Context

The Energy Charter Treaty allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments for loss of profits due to decarbonisation efforts. Several EU countries and institutions have called for a coordinated withdrawal.

Question

Does the Minister agree that any treaty punishing attempts to tackle the climate crisis is fundamentally wrong? Does he also agree with France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovenia, the European Parliament and the European Commission that modernising the ECT is impossible and that it is time for a coordinated withdrawal from this treaty?

Answer from Graham Stuart

We were firm proponents of modernising the treaty precisely so that it would not do what the hon. Lady described, but, as I have said already, we will continue to watch the situation closely.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly agree or disagree with other EU countries and institutions about modernising or withdrawing from the ECT.

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