The Republic of Moldova withdraws from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), an international agreement from the 1990s that favors investments in fossil fuels to the detriment of more environmentally friendly energy solutions. The draft was adopted in both readings at today’s Parliament sitting.

The initiative to withdraw from the Treaty comes from the Ministry of Energy, which emphasized that the ECT is incompatible with the Republic of Moldova’s new priorities regarding energy security, including diversification of energy sources and the transition to renewable energy. Some provisions of the Treaty, particularly the ISDS (Investor‑State Dispute Settlement) mechanism, favor the protection of investors in the fossil‑fuel sector.

In the current context of transitioning toward a green and sustainable economy, such mechanisms may discourage investments in renewable energy, which could delay the climate measures needed to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and promote clean energy sources.

The ECT is a 1994 trade agreement concerning the free flow of energy and the strengthening of cooperation in the energy sector. The Republic of Moldova joined the Treaty in 1996, when membership was relevant for facilitating the integration of the national energy market into the regional and international context.

The European Union decided to withdraw from the ECT in 2025, and several European states have already completed their withdrawal procedures, including Romania, Poland, Italy and France. The Republic of Moldova, like the European Union, considers that withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty was inevitable in order to align energy policy with commitments on reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to clean energy.