Energy Charter Treaty

163 PEEREA Article 12: Voting (1) Unanimity of Contracting Parties Present and Voting at the meeting of the Charter Conference where such matters fall to be decided shall be required for decisions to: (a) adopt amendments to this Protocol; and (b) approve accessions to this Protocol under Article 16. Contracting Parties shall make every effort to reach agreement by consensus on any other matter requiring their decision under this Protocol. If agreement cannot be reached by consensus, decisions on non-budgetary matters shall be taken by a three-fourths majority of Contracting Parties Present and Voting at the meeting of the Charter Conference at which such matters fall to be decided. Decisions on budgetary matters shall be taken by a qualified majority of Contracting Parties whose assessed contributions under Article 11(2) represent, in combination, at least three-fourths of the total assessed contributions. (2) For purposes of this Article, “Contracting Parties Present and Voting” means Contracting Parties to this Protocol present and casting affirmative or negative votes, provided that the Charter Conference may decide upon rules of procedure to enable such decisions to be taken by Contracting Parties by correspondence. (3) Except as provided in paragraph (1) in relation to budgetary matters, no decision referred to in this Article shall be valid unless it has the support of a simple majority of Contracting Parties. (4) A Regional Economic Integration Organisation shall, when voting, have a number of votes equal to the number of its member states which are Contracting Parties to this Protocol; provided that such an Organisation shall not exercise its right to vote if its member states exercise theirs, and vice versa. (5) In the event of persistent arrears in a Contracting Party’s discharge of financial obligations under this Protocol, the Charter Conference may suspend that Contracting Party’s voting rights in whole or in part.