ECT

A little-known treaty, the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is one of the largest obstacles to combat dangerous climate change and to install a just transition. The treaty makes it possible for energy multinationals to claim billions from governments if government policies would impede their (future) profits, like climate policies. These claims are brought before tribunals outside of the national courts, often in secret. It can lead to claims by companies against policies for general climate protection. This is why the fossil industry is using these tribunals to claim billions, thus increasing the costs for the just transition massively. Luckily, a successful campaign against the Energy Charter Treaty has forced the Dutch government to announce an exit from the ECT. This announcement is a big victory, but we remain vigilant to see if the announced exit will be followed through.