On 29 April 2013 the Energy Charter Secretariat held a workshop on the Role of Intergovernmental Agreements in Energy Policy. The workshop was hosted by the WTO at its headquarters in Geneva. The aim of the workshop was to shed light on the application of existing international rules on trade and investment in energy embodied in the WTO Agreements and in the ECT. Another aim of the workshop was to raise awareness of the challenges the energy sector currently faces and the implications of such challenges for the regulatory framework. More specifically, the discussion focused on the interaction of the ECT and the WTO Agreements.

Following an invitation from the Ministry of Energy and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Energy Charter launched an in-depth energy efficiency review of the country. The review, performed in accordance with the Energy Charter Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects (PEEREA), began with a visit of Energy Charter experts to Dushanbe on 22-25 April 2013.

Secretary General Rusnák participated in the 10th Slovak Annual Congress on Power and Energy held under the auspices of the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 23-24 April in Bratislava. The focus of the Congress was on "Safety and Security of the Energy Infrastructure, Stable Investment Environment and Innovations - the Way to the Sustainable Energy Future". Amb. Rusnák spoke during the session on the protection of energy infrastructure and security of electricity supply. In his presentation, he addressed both the physical risks of critical infrastructure and regulatory risks related to the distortion of power markets caused by the growing share of renewable energy sources.

The Energy Charter Secretariat was invited to speak at the I Congreso de Arbitraje de Inversión en Iberoamérica organised by the Arbitration Court of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce on 19 April 2013 in Madrid. The Congress, opened by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. José Manuel García-Margallo, gathered high-level experts on international arbitration and prominent law firms specialised in international investments and trade. Minister García-Margallo emphasised the importance of suitable arbitration mechanisms to meet the needs of both multinational firms and small and medium enterprises.

On 19 April 2013 the Energy Charter Secretariat held a public hearing on the topic of the Role and Potential of the Energy Charter in Global Energy Governance Reform. Dr. Marat Terterov, the first Research Fellow at the newly established ECS Knowledge Centre, presented his discussion paper on the topic. This paper as well as the input received during the public hearing discussion will serve as a basis for an ECS Knowledge Centre occasional paper to be released by the end of May this year. This will be the first such paper in a new line of Charter publications to be prepared by Knowledge Centre Research Fellows.