Energy
In substantive terms, the main priorities for the Energy Service are the political aspects of energy supply security and the strategy to optimise this.
In this context, we especially focus on the supply of natural gas to Belgium and the EU.
The Energy Service monitors multilateral diplomacy in the international organisations which deal with issues regarding energy for civilian use - either as their main task (the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Energy Forum, the Energy Charter and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)) or as an additional task (the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), NATO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)) - as well as the European Union coordination of this area.
Domestically, the service participates in coordination with the federal and regional authorities responsible for this area with a view to setting out Belgium’s position and strategy.
International Energy Agency (Paris)
The International Energy Agency (IEA) was established as a sister organisation of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) after the oil boycott in 1973 so as to protect the interests of petroleum-consumer countries.
IEA obliges its members to build up a stock of 90 days’ petroleum product imports that can be used in the event of a crisis.
The organisation also carries out studies examining its members’ energy policy.
Each year, IEA publishes World Energy Outlook in which it sets out its views on the development of the energy market, and in particular petroleum and natural gas.
Every two years, a ministerial meeting is held where the broad thrust of energy policy is defined.
FPS Foreign Affairs ensures that Belgium’s external energy policy is in keeping with the country’s general foreign policy.
Accordingly, the ministry monitors the committees responsible for IEA external relations (e.g. with the People’s Republic of China, India and Russia).
Energy Charter Treaty (Brussels)
The treaty focuses on laying down the rules which govern transit and trading and foreign investments in the energy sector. It also sets out a system to settle disputes.
The members of the Energy Charter Conference come from Europe and Asia.
The treaty is going through a rather difficult period due to Russia’s recent announcement that it did not intend to ratify the signed treaty.
International Energy Forum (Riyadh)
The International Energy Forum is an international forum for high-level discussion and dialogue. This takes the form of a biennial ministerial meeting.
The Secretariat publishes the Joint Oil Data Initiative giving petroleum sector data and so contributing to increased market transparency.
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (Abu Dhabi)
IRENA - an initiative launched by Germany, supported by Spain and Denmark - was officially established in Bonn on 26 January 2009.
The agency aims to make efforts to promote a quick shift to the sustainable use of renewable energy worldwide. To this end, it wants to team up with other organisations to map existing knowledge on the subject, provide policy advice, promote the transfer of technology (rather than advice about financing) and stimulating capacity building and research.
The responsible federal and regional authorities are preparing Belgium’s entry to this organisation.
United Nations institutions
We monitor the Energy committee in the United Nations International Development Organisation (UNIDO) (Vienna) and the sustainable energy committee in the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (Geneva).
