5th Energy Community Oil Forum sets out path for Oil Stocks Directive implementation

The 5th Energy Community Oil Forum took place in Belgrade on 10-11 October 2013 and was attended by high-level government officials, oil industry representatives and investors. The focus of the Forum was the Directive on maintaining minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products (Directive 2009/119/EC) adopted by the Ministerial Council in October 2012.

The 5th Oil Forum was officially opened by the Serbian Assistant Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection, Mr Petar Stanojevic, representing the presidency-in-office of the Energy Community. In his opening address, Mr Stanojevic confirmed that oil security, as part of security of supply, was a key priority for Serbia and the Energy Community given the vital need to guarantee consumers continuous access to petroleum products and encouraged the Energy Community Secretariat to continue in the coordination of technical assistance on oil stockholding policy in the Energy Community.

The Forum noted that all Contracting Parties were still far away from achieving full compliance with the Directive. The Forum highlighted the numerous financial, technical and other obstacles to the establishment of emergency oil stocks and an effective and reliable emergency response system and discussed possible ways they could be overcome.

The Forum discussed the Contracting Parties’ progress in preparing the transposition of the Oil Stocks Directive into their national legal frameworks. The Forum urged all Contracting Parties to submit to the Secretariat their specific technical assistance requirements, which are required for the coordination of such assistance and the evaluation of financial assistance opportunities by the Secretariat. The Forum underlined that each Contracting Party should include key milestones for implementing the Oil Stocks Directive over the short to medium term in their national implementation roadmaps.

energjia.al, 12.10.2013