Sinn Féin Calls For Irish Govt To Produce ECT Withdrawal Timeline

Sinn Féin has urged the Irish Government to provide a timeline of withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).

The party's spokesperson on Climate Action and the Environment, Darren O’Rourke TD, said the ECT is a "relic of a fossil fuel past" and that "according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is a major barrier to net zero".

In response to Minister Ryan announcing the government's intention to leave the ECT when a majority is reached, Mr O'Rourke said "Ireland deserves better than a government who only does the right thing when their hand is forced".

According to recent industry research, the carbon budget for the stopping the earth from heating up by 1.5 degrees could run out in six years. Due to this, Mr O'Rourke said "Ireland must following the example of 9 other European countries who have left or have announced their exit from the ECT".


Speaking in the Dáil, Mr O'Rourke said: "By offering what is termed 'investment protection' through the investor state dispute settlement (ISDS), fossil fuel companies can sue national governments for policy decisions they take to reduce our reliance on oil, coal and gas.

"There have been 158 investment arbitration cases under the ECT, but these have exploded over the last 10 years. Significantly, the pay outs awarded to fossil fuel claimants tend to be disproportionately higher than for other fuel sources.

"The controversial ISDS is the provision that exposes ordinary workers and families to a potentially hefty financial burden via eye-watering and obscene dispute settlements between fossil fuel investors and the state. It therefore threatens to usher in a new era of regulatory chill when it comes to climate action.

"And here in Ireland, Lansdowne Oil and Gas plc, a partner of Barryroe Offshore Energy, is challenging the Irish government on their decision not to grant a licence which would have been inconsistent with our climate targets.

"As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Transnational Institute and Berlin based Powershift, made public in mid-November 2022, revealed that the ECT processes are mired in dodgy dealings.

"Opaque proceedings are coupled with inadequate controls on conflicts of interest for key personnel including arbitrators are exacerbated by what the investigators cite as a potential bias in favour of fossil fuel interests."