Lithuania Denounces 1994 Energy Charter Treaty

Lithuania has withdrawn from the 1994 Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), TASS reports.

Ninety-nine members of the Seimas (parliament) voted in favor of withdrawal from the treaty, with two abstentions; no one voted against. According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy, which came up with the initiative, there is no sense for Lithuania to stay within the framework of the Energy Charter Treaty after the EU and Euroatom plan to withdraw from it by the end of June, which goes against the community's climate policy.

The 1994 Energy Charter Treaty was aimed at providing Western European countries with access to energy from Eastern Europe and Russia in exchange for Western investments. It was expected to provide diversification of energy sources for Western Europe, as well as reduce its dependence on production in the Persian Gulf region. Russia and Belarus refused to ratify it.

In March 2024, the European Commission announced that under the current conditions the Energy Charter Treaty was no longer in the interests of the European Union and therefore the EU intended to withdraw from it.