Related links to the webinar „Climate policies under attack“ (Wednesday, January 29):
Report "One Treaty to Rule them All": Comprehensive and easy to read introduction to the Energy Charter Treaty:
https://www.energy-charter-dirty-secrets.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/One-treaty-to-rule-them-all.pdf
Website that summarises the main findings of the "One Treaty to Rule them All" report and provides some infographics and basic information:
https://www.energy-charter-dirty-secrets.org/
Corporate Europe Observatory video about Uniper's threat against the Netherlands:
https://youtu.be/uZ3r6OwKM-k
Report "The Energy Charter Treaty. Assessing its geopolitical, climate and financial impacts“:
https://www.openexp.eu/sites/default/files/publication/files/ect_rapport-numerique.pdf
ClientEarth's legal opinion arguing that Uniper has no valid case against The Netherlands but warning that the case may nevertheless undermine governments’ efforts to tackle climate change:
https://www.documents.clientearth.org/wp-content/uploads/library/2019-11-26-clientearth-legal-opinion-isds-threat-uniper-ce-en.pdf
IEEFA's economic analysis on the Uniper plant in the Netherlands:
https://ieefa.org/ieefa-update-rwe-uniper-risk-prolonging-dutch-coal-mistakes-via-compensation-strategy/Â
Â
For further information, you can also contact the presenters:Â
Â
Contents:
- Short overview about the current power structure between the Finnish Government, Fortum & Uniper
- What is the ECT and why is it a hindrance to the energy transition? (Pia Eberhardt, Corporate Europe Observatory)
- The Dutch coal phase out law, Urgenda and Uniper´s ECT threat (Bart-Jaap Verbeek, SOMO)
The Netherlands passed a law in December that bans burning coal for electricity production by 2030. Uniper runs one of five coal-fired power stations in the country and has threatened to use the Energy Charter Treaty, an investment treaty from the 1990s, to extract about a billion Euro in compensation from Dutch taxpayers. The same treaty has been used in the past to attack a ban on oil drilling in Italy, new environmental rules for a coal-fired power plant in Hamburg and Germany's nuclear exit. This webinar will give you a short introduction to the Energy Charter Treaty and why it is a hindrance to the energy transition. We will also look at the Dutch coal phase-out law, how it links to the Urgenda court cases and why the Uniper threat to sue could spell disaster for coal exits in other countries.
Speakers:
- Â Pia Eberhardt, trade and investment expert, Corporate Europe Observatory
- Â Bart-Jaap Verbeek, researcher, SOMO - Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (Netherlands)

Â