On 26 January 2017, the Energy Charter Secretariat hosted the inaugural meeting of the Implementation Group, which resulted from the recent merging of the Investment Group, the Trade and Transit Group and the Energy Efficiency Group.
During the meeting, the Energy Charter Secretariat presented the progress of projects that could have a beneficial impact on the investment decision and policy-making process, such as eliminating barriers to the entry and establishment of energy investments and an Investment Facilitation toolbox in the energy sector. The delegates also discussed the main finding of the first phase of the pilot project on Energy Investment Risk Assessment.
The attendants had the opportunity to learn more about the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration by a representative from the United Nation Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), who presented the significance and the impact of this new legal instrument on the international investment protection regime. The meeting was concluded with presentation on the Energy Charter Secretariat’s involvement in and contribution to the EU4 Energy Program and on the status of the energy efficiency reviews of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The inaugural meeting constitutes only the first of a series of Implementation Group meeting that are scheduled for the rest of the year with the next one being in March 2017.
