Energy Charter Treaty

12 Persuaded that broader energy cooperation among signatories is essential for economic progress and more generally for social development, energy poverty alleviation, and a better quality of life; Convinced of the signatories’ common interest in problems of energy security, safety of industrial plants, including nuclear facilities, and environmental protection; Willing to do more to attain the objectives of energy security and efficient management and use of resources, and to utilise fully the potential for environmental improvement, in moving towards sustainable development; Willing to develop cooperation with regional and international organisations for sharing experience and specific examples from national practice in the area of sustainable development, access to modern energy services, energy poverty reduction, green economy, clean energy, energy efficiency, as well as development, introduction and broader use of new clean technologies; Convinced of the essential importance of efficient energy systems in the production, conversion, transport, distribution and use of energy for energy security and for the protection of the environment; Convinced that investing in energy efficiency and renewable energies can enhance energy security and contribute to sustainable economic growth; Encouraging synergies among energy-related multilateral fora; Aware of the obligations under major relevant multilateral agreements, of the wide range of international energy cooperation, and of the extensive activities by existing international organisations in the energy field and willing to take full advantage of the expertise of these organisations in furthering the objectives of this Charter; Recognising the role of entrepreneurs, operating within a transparent and equitable legal framework, in promoting cooperation under this Charter; Determined to promote closer, mutually beneficial commercial relations and investments in the energy field; Affirming the importance of freedom of movement of energy products, and of developing an efficient international energy infrastructure in order to facilitate the development of stable and transparent trade in energy;