ENERGY CHARTER SECRETARIAT

In view of the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), upon consultation with the Chairmanship and the Chair of the Modernisation Group, the first meeting of the Group in 2020 expected for the second half of April, had to be postponed to 2 June 2020. [...] Along with the Chair and the Vice-Chairs of the Modernisation Group and the Secretariat, the steering group was composed of the following delegations: Afghanistan, the European Union, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Yemen. [...] The group agreed the aim of the three negotiation rounds in 2020 was to have an open discussion on the topics proposed for modernisation to gain a greater understanding of the topics and to ascertain initial impressions of the positions of the delegations. [...] Several delegations supported the inclusion of the reference to the International Energy Charter in addition to the European Energy Charter in the definition of “Charter” in Article 1(1). [...] The discussion focused on the question whether an investor should meet the requirement of “substantial business activities” in the State of their incorporation or whether the current definition of an “Investor” serves well the objectives of the ECT and should, thus, be maintained.