The crisis between Ukraine and the Russian Federation has been the source for comment about the Energy Charter Treaty, its operation and pertinence to energy security. This demands a response.
On 21 January 2009, Vladimir Rakhmanin, Deputy Secretary General of the Energy Charter and Dr. Neil Melvin, Senior Adviser to the Secretary General, visited the International Energy Agency (IEA), within the framework of the close cooperation between the two institutions.
The Energy Charter Treaty provides a very important and useful tool which underpins the effectiveness of the Energy Charter Process and makes sure its evolution reflects new developments and challenges in international energy markets.
China became an observer to the Energy Charter Conference in 2001, and since then it has been involved in the Energy Charter Process. As part of this cooperation, a delegation from the Energy Charter Secretariat visited Beijing in December 2008. During the visit, the Energy Charter delegation held talks with officials from the National Energy Administration focused on strengthening cooperation between the Energy Charter Process and the government of China.
On 14 November 2008, the European Union (EU) and Russia held their 22nd Summit in Nice. Among the topics covered in the course of discussions were energy security and climate change concerns, especially in the context of the looming financial and economic crisis.
On the sidelines of the EU-Russia Summit, the 7th meeting of the "Club de Nice" Forum on the issue of "Energy and Geopolitics" was held. It was attended by industry representatives, top executives of national and international...
At the 2nd Kyiv Security Forum "Black-Caspian Sea Region and European Energy Security" on 6 November 2008, discussion focused on important energy security challenges facing countries in Europe and beyond, and on the more efficient ways of managing the interdependence between energy producers and consumers to the mutual benefit of all parties along the energy value chain.
The Secretary General André Mernier travelled to Amman and Damascus on 18-19 June to promote closer association between the countries in the Middle East and the Energy Charter Process. During his visit, Amb. Mernier has held several high-level meetings with representatives of the Jordanian and Syrian governments.
The Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan possesses very substantial gas reserves and has ambitious plans for their production and export. However, "the realisation of Turkmenistan's vast potential as an exporter of hydrocarbons is largely dependent on the transit of its energy through the territories of neighbouring countries," stated Ambassador André Mernier, Secretary General of the Energy Charter Secretariat, at a high level investment conference in London "Oil and Gas in Turkmenistan" on...
16 April 2008 marked ten years since the Energy Charter Treaty came into full legal force. The Energy Charter Secretariat held a reception at Palais d'Egmont in Brussels to celebrate this anniversary, marking the Treaty's achievements over these years and it's readiness to embrace new challenges posed by international energy markets.
"While this ten-year period is not very long for an international treaty, the Energy Charter Treaty has proven to be a successful and well-functioning legal...
"India has much to gain from the application and expansion of international rules of the game in the energy sector in the broader South Asian sub-continent," stated the Secretary General of the Energy Charter Secretariat, Ambassador André Mernier, during his keynote address at the Fifth Asia Gas Partnership Summit, in New Delhi, 14-15 April 2008. In an event which focused on energy security and the Asian gas market, the Secretary General underlined the fact that endorsement of some of the core...
The reverberating topic of the security of Europe's gas supply featured prominently amongst the discussions at the 14th Annual Flame Conference, which took place in Amsterdam, 3-7 March 2008.
The decision was taken at the 18th Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference, the governing body for the Energy Charter Process, which met in Istanbul, Turkey, on 7 December 2007. Following the approval of Afghanistan’s accession, the Minister of Economy of Afghanistan, H.E. Mr Jalil Shams, thanked the...
