European Commission proposes withdrawal from contested energy treaty

The European Commission proposed the joint withdrawal of all EU members states from the contested Energy Charter Treaty on Friday, citing the accord's incompatibility with the European Union's climate goals. The treaty does not align with the "EU’s sustainable vision of the future," EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said in a statement, noting the need to protect investments in renewable energy. First created in 1994, the treaty was set up to protect the supply of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal from former Soviet countries to Western Europe in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Unio...