Global Public Policy Institute
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E-Mail gppi@gppi.net
06 May 2009
GPPi holds policy roundtable on the International Energy Forum
GPPi held a policy roundtable entitled, “The International Energy Forum: An Instrument for Risk Management in the Global Oil Market?” on 6 May 2009 at the office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Berlin. Speaking at the event was Enno Harks, a Policy Adviser at BP Germany. The event was moderated by GPPi Associate Director Thorsten Benner and is part of GPPi's ongoing Global Energy Governance program.
Against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, the current “low” oil prices are certainly a positive development. Nevertheless, the unprecedented volatility over the past few years - which has seen a high of almost USD 150 per barrel and a low of almost USD 40 per barrel - has been damaging to both consumers and producers in profound ways. However, there is now a unique window of opportunity for both producers and consumers to come together in order to address these issues, work towards preventing a recurrence of such instability in the future, as well as establish the framework for long-term energy cooperation which would be beneficial to both sides.
The formation of the International Energy Forum (IEF) Secretariat in 2003 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has served as an opportunity for both producers and consumers to discuss issues concerning the global oil market as well as to pave the way for further dialogue. The speaker addressed the existing institutional setup of the global energy market as well as discussed both the potential and the limits of the International Energy Forum and the possible paths of development for the organization in the future.
To download the event program (in German), please click here.
For more information, please contact Wade Hoxtell