Signed in 1994, the treaty currently has 53 signatories, including all EU member states, and encourages cross-border cooperation in energy investment, principally in fossil fuels. It was initially intended to bring the East and West closer in the field of energy after the end of the Cold War. The ECT primarily protects energy investments, which has turned out to be extremely problematic in a climate crisis. It can hold governments liable for policies that can harm the interests of those who've invested in energy projects. Often those who turn to it are linked with the oil industry, which is facing new limits and regulations. Increasingly, experts say the treaty is fundamentally incompatible with the targets of the Paris Agreement, which is aiming to keep temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius.