The Commission has submitted the EU-Ecuador investment agreement to the Council.

Two proposed Council decisions submitted

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security published, on 11 September 2026, a communication on submitting the EU-Ecuador Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement to the Council . The Commission refers to the agreement by the English acronym SIFA, standing for Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement .

The communication states that the Commission submitted two proposed Council decisions: the first concerns the signature of the agreement, while the second concerns its conclusion . Both proposals concern the same EU-Ecuador agreement and form part of the institutional stage preceding its formal adoption .

According to DG Trade, the Commission is seeking the Council's agreement to sign the SIFA . The Commission's published page therefore distinguishes the proposal concerning signature from that aimed at concluding the agreement . It refers to the proposed Council decisions as supporting documents .

The communication does not reproduce the text of the two draft decisions, provide a Council decision number, or mention a CELEX reference . Nor does it publish a consolidated version of the agreement in its accessible content .

Scope of the agreement and sector-specific provisions

The European Commission presents the agreement as covering investment facilitation across the Ecuadorian economy . It states that this scope notably addresses administrative barriers and regulatory uncertainty, which are cited among the difficulties the agreement seeks to tackle .

However, the text published by DG Trade identifies two sectors subject to specific provisions: sustainable energy and raw materials . According to the Commission, those provisions are intended to deepen cooperation and facilitate investment in these two areas . The Commission describes them as a first in a sustainable investment facilitation agreement .

The Commission communication links these sectors to areas mentioned in its presentation of EU-Ecuador cooperation, including energy, water, sanitation and waste management . The announcement marking the conclusion of negotiations also identifies renewable energy among sectors with investment potential .

According to the Commission, the agreement includes commitments relating to the environment and climate, as well as respect for labour rights . It specifies that those commitments link investment facilitation to sustainability objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals .

The Commission describes the instrument as the first sustainable investment facilitation agreement negotiated by the Union with a Latin American country . The announcement published at the conclusion of negotiations also mentions an annex, presented as unprecedented in this type of agreement . The full content of that annex is not reproduced in the available documentary file .

Institutional timetable and European investment

According to the European Commission, the proposals concerning the signature and conclusion of the agreement have been submitted to the Council for approval . The Council's agreement is the announced step before the text is transmitted to the European Parliament, which is to give its consent . The Commission presents this sequence as the procedure preceding approval of the agreement by the Union's institutions .

Following the European Parliament's consent and the announced approvals, the agreement may enter into force, according to the Commission . The communication provides no indicative date for the Council decision, parliamentary consent or entry into force . Nor does it specify the duration of the institutional stages mentioned .

The Commission puts the stock of European Union foreign direct investment in Ecuador at €9.1 billion in 2024 . It identifies construction, business services, transport, storage, communications and manufacturing among the sectors receiving the main European investments . The communication does not break down this €9.1 billion stock by sector, investing Member State or year of investment .

The file published by DG Trade refers to the proposed Council decisions on signature and conclusion without reproducing their full texts . No CELEX reference for either proposed decision appears in the available documentary material .