EU readies reforms to energy treaty as climate criticisms mount

FILE PHOTO: Steam rises from the five brown coal-fired power units of RWE, one of Europe's biggest electricity companies in Neurath, north-west of Cologne, Germany March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo

BRUSSELS/MADRID (Reuters) - The European Commission is expected to propose reforms to an international energy treaty as early as Monday, EU officials said, after some governments have said the bloc should consider quitting the agreement because it could threaten climate goals.

Signed in 1994 to protect cross-border investment in the energy sector, the Energy Charter Treaty has faced growing criticism from environmental groups and governments that say it impedes countries' efforts to phase out fossil fuels.