論能源憲章條約之現代化與原則性協議

On the Modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Agreement in Principle

能源憲章條約於1998年生效，目前有54個簽署方，大部分位於歐洲與中亞地區。其目的為保障外國投資人免受地主國不當之管制或政治干預，包括訴諸投資人與地主國爭端解決機制之途徑。2018年啟動該條約之現代化談判，歷經約五年談判後，2022年6月24日能源憲章大會通過原則性協議，完成ECT之修正內容。雖然談判結果未將化石燃料投資排除於保障範圍之外，不過該條約現代化所帶來之實質性改變仍有所進展。儘管如此，部分歐盟會員國宣布退出能源憲章條約，歐盟執委會亦隨之展開協調歐盟及其會員國退出該條約。根據該條約第47條第3項落日條款規定，對於選擇退出之歐盟及其會員國而言，卻是一把達摩克利斯之劍，蓋因退出條約將引起落日條款之適用，並繼續保障既有投資二十年。故本文擬探討能源憲章條約未來發展之不確定性，以及其面臨之種種挑戰。

The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) came into force in 1998 and is currently signed by 54 countries, mostly in Europe and Central Asia. Its purpose is to protect foreign investments from regulatory or political interferences of host State, including through investor-State dispute settlement mechanism (ISDS). A negotiation to modernize the agreement was launched in 2018. On 24 June 2022, afterfive years of negotiations, the Energy Charter Conference Member States reached an Agreement in Principle regarding revisions to the ECT. Despite a crushing failure to exclude fossil fuel investments from scope of protection, the substantive changes in the modernised ECT represent progress. However, that has not stopped a number of EU Member States announcing their intention to depart from the ECT. A coordinated withdrawal of the EU and its Member States is launched by the European Commission. The sunset clause of Article 47(3) ECT nevertheless hangs as a sword of Damocles over withdrawal options, as withdrawal triggers the sunset clause and protects existing investments for another 20 years. This article discusses the uncertainty around the future of ECT and the challenges beyond.