site.btaEC Calls on Bulgaria to Withdraw from Energy Charter Treaty

The European Commission has decided to send letters of formal notice to Bulgarian and 15 other Member States that remain contracting parties to the Energy Charter Treaty after the European Union and Euratom withdrew from that Treaty on June 28, 2025. The Member States concerned are: Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden. The Energy Charter Treaty organizes trade and investment relations in the energy sector between its contracting parties, the EC said in a press release on Friday. 

In accordance with the Treaties, trade and investment fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union, and Member States may exercise this competence only if the Union empowers them to do so. Following the withdrawal of the Union and Euratom from the Energy Charter Treaty, the Member States concerned have not received such empowerment, nor have they taken any steps to withdraw from the Treaty. The Commission now calls on the Member States concerned to withdraw from the Treaty without undue delay. These Member States have now two months to respond to the letters of formal notice. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion, the press release added.