The Role of the International Energy Charter: Coordinating Quality Development or Growth in Implementation?

In 2015, a statement was issued by an assembly of governments, led by Europeans who were often energy importers. The energy-rich countries did not want to join the 1994 treaty due to the heavy obligations and the new global developments related to energy. The energy importing countries, with the initiative of the European countries, sought to create an agreement between two groups of countries, i.e. energy producers and energy importers. The strategy of issuing the statement in 2015 was aimed at creating convergence around the 1994 energy charter without putting the burden of authorship on the governments. Examining the impact of the charter on persuading the countries of the first group to cooperate around the 1994 treaty is the subject of this research. The International Energy Charter, without wanting to oblige the target countries to undertake obligations towards the global energy community, was able to gather some energy-owning countries around the global energy legal system for cooperation. The result of such a process has been an increasing and little result in the impact of the 2015 charter on increasing convergence to enhance the 1994 treaty.