A response from Sir Peter Bottomley MP:
Our commitment to tackling climate change as a nation and as a human race has long been an important issue for me.
Signed in 1994, The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) was the largest international agreement of its kind and played a crucial role in promoting international investment in the energy sector and providing protections for investors in fossil fuels.
To better reflect the ambitions of achieving net-zero, those party to the ECT entered negotiations to modernise the treaty to ensure that it aligned with the common climate objectives of European nation states.
These talks resulted in a stalemate, and in February 2024, the UK Government announced that it would be withdrawing from the treaty, in order to support Britain’s transition to net zero and strengthen its energy security. If the UK were to remain a member, the transition to affordable and clean energy would be hampered by the ECT’s outdated requirements, including the possibility that the Government could be penalised for implementing its world-leading measures to achieve net-zero.
The UK follows 9 EU member states, including France and the Netherlands, in withdrawing from the treaty.
The UK Government will now initiate withdrawing from the ECT, which will take effect after one year.
The Government has my support in ensuring that the United Kingdom remains a leading nation in climate change policy.
Thank you for writing on this important subject.
Sir Peter Bottomley MP