New withdrawals from the ECT

On 22 February 2024, the UK government announced that it is leaving the ECT after the failure of efforts to align it with net zero. The withdrawal announcement by Slovenia followed on 26 February, and by Portugal on 7 March. As Portugal operates as the ECT’s depositary, the contracting parties will now have to identify a new depositary. Significantly, the Council of the EU adopted a decision to withdraw from the ECT on the same date, the withdrawal will now have to be confirmed by the European Parliament. The final sitting of the Parliament before the EU elections take place on 22-25 April.