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On November 20, 2019, the Permanent Court of Arbitration will host the Energy Charter Treaty (ETC) Forum in Singapore. The ECT Forum is an annual event and is jointly organised by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Energy Charter Secretariat , and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. 

The Energy Charter Secretariat participated at the 2019 Colloquium on international law organized by the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL) and the Chinese Society of International Law. The Colloquium attracted more than 200 participants, including those attending the 5th China-AALCO (Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation) Exchange and Research Programme on international law.

As of Monday 12 August 2019, the Energy Charter Secretariat experienced a systems disruption that affected communication including all incoming and outgoing emails. The issue began around 9:20 am and was a result of our cloud service and internet provider. The office was unable to receive or send emails. The service provider assured the Secretariat that they were working to resolve the issue. The system was fully back on line in the morning of the 19 August. The Secretariat apologies for any...

Following the approval of the National Energy Policy in 2018, Eswatini has once again confirmed its interest and ambitions to improve energy efficiency in all sectors of economy. In July 2019, Eswatinis' cabinet of ministers approved Energy Efficiency and Conservation Policy that is now an official guiding document supporting the implementation of further reforms in the energy sector of the country. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy developed the latter policy in close collaboration...

The Energy Charter Secretariat was invited to participate in the 2nd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum; Supporting local authorities in their efforts towards the energy transition, which was held in Lisbon on 18 July 2019 under the auspices of the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment and Energy Transition. The event gathered high-level government representatives, stakeholders, private sector investors and international financial institutions, with the aim of identifying business and...

This year, the Energy Charter Secretariat has received two nominations for the Energy Charter Award. The Award was introduced in 2013 in order to recognise the outstanding role of individuals and entities in the development of the Energy Charter Process. The first recipient of the award was former Prime Minister of The Netherlands, Mr Ruud Lubbers (1939 - 2018), the founding father of the Energy Charter Process.

The first Caspian Economic Forum will take place on August 11-12 in Avaza, the national tourist zone at the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan. This will be a high-level event inclusive of the participation of senior officials from the Caspian littoral states, investors and international organisations. The President of Turkmenistan will host the Forum.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demands for cleaner air, cleaner transport, and new technologies. Together with the Paris Agreement, SDGs are drivers of an international energy transition. A condition for future success is enhanced by international cooperation among states, investors and communities.

On 13 June 2019, Albania hosted the Tirana International Energy Charter Forum. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and highlighted energy diversification, renewables and energy efficiency.

H.E. Minister Belinda Balluku opened the Forum to highlight Albania’s participation and leadership as the Chair of the Energy Charter Conference. Albania assumed the Chair of the Conference for 2019 and Minister Balluku highlighted the competitive nature of the Albanian energy...

On 04 June, 2019 the Energy Charter Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) held its 42nd meeting in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was hosted by Dow Chemical. The IAP Brussels session was well attended by representatives of energy companies, associations, international organisations, and diplomatic representations.

On 28 May 2019, officials from the Energy Charter Secretariat and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) met in Vienna to discuss perspectives and explore options for collaboration to, improve the investment climate in the energy sector. Mr Leonardo Sempértegui, General Legal Counsel at OPEC, chaired the meeting, by delegation of the OPEC Secretary-General.

On 27 and 28 May 2019, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) organised the second preparatory meeting of the 27th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum. The meeting took place under Slovakia’s 2019 OSCE Chairmanship and primarily focused on economic progress and energy cooperation in the digital era. Ambassador František Ružička, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, opened the meeting and outlined three priorities:...

During the second preparatory meeting of the 27th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum on 27-28 May in Bratislava, a side event took place on “Shaping the future of energy policies and co-operation in the OSCE region from the private sector perspective”. Special attention was given to meeting the dual challenge of meeting the world’s rising energy demand while moving towards a low-carbon economy. The event was moderated by Mr. Daniel Kroos, Senior Programme Officer at the OSCE, and hosted...

The Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC), in association with several prominent Turkish law firms and companies, organised its first conference in Istanbul on 23 May 2019. The event was dedicated to international energy issues and transit disputes. The participants of the meeting discussed the current state of affairs and the future of energy-related investment arbitration. Also discussed was legal issues in energy trade, supply contracts, and energy transit. 

On 21 May 2019 Energy Charter Secretary-General Dr Urban Rusnák was in Reykjavik, Iceland, to meet with federal government officials. Dr Rusnák met with Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation. He also met with the Energy Ambassador from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.