Energy problem

Resolution 566 (1974)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 9 and 10 May 1974 (5th and 6th Sittings) (see Doc. 3418, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development). Text adopted by the Assembly on 10 May 1974 (6th Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Considering that the present energy crisis will have far-reaching effects on national economies and on international trade and monetary relations ;

2. Stressing the urgency for Council of Europe member states to come to an early and satisfactory solution of this problem in view of their heavy dependence on oil imports, particularly from the Middle East ;

3. Deploring the fact that Western European countries, notwithstanding their common needs and interests, have once again missed an opportunity to define a common energy policy and to take concerted action in relation to oil-producing and major oil-consuming countries ;

4. Believing that bilateral solutions are ultimately self-defeating and go against the spirit of international trade and monetary cooperation and liberalisation, which have greatly contributed to the growing economic prosperity in the post-war period ;

5. Aware of the serious repercussions that the present oil crisis has on the non-oil-producing developing countries, and underlining the importance for developed countries to reorientate and intensify their development assistance policies in order to mitigate these repercussions ;

6. Believing that the problems created by the oil crisis should be tackled according to their urgency and call for common and responsible solutions at the appropriate international level,

7. Urges that :

a with regard to the industrialised oil-importing countries :

industrialised oil-importing countries, starting with Western Europe, define and coordinate without delay their energy policies and protect their legitimate interests vis-à-vis oil-exporting countries and multinational oil companies ;

all industrial oil-importing countries unite their efforts in order to counteract the impact of the oil crisis on inflation and employment ;

member states of the Oil Committee of OECD subscribe to a solidarity scheme for the sharing of available oil stocks to be applied in cases of emergency ;

new arrangements be established in the framework of IMF in order to take account of structural balance-of-payments difficulties and to avoid an escalation of competitive devaluations ;

the national efforts aiming at the curbing of non-essential use of energy and the reduction of wastage be intensified and coordinated at the appropriate international level ;

b with regard to both oil-importing and oil-exporting countries :

a spirit of solidarity replace the present climate of confrontation, and that oil-importing and oilexporting countries pursue a policy of constructive cooperation aiming at the economic and industrial development of the latter ;

all the parties seek agreement on a pricing mechanism for crude oil with a view to reflecting its true value in relation to other energy sources, to attributing balanced fiscal incomes to producing and consuming states, and to ensuring stable oil supplies ;

urgent measures be taken to favour stable and long-term investments of surplus capital of oilproducing countries, thereby avoiding distorting effects on the financial and exchange markets of recipient countries ;

effective cooperation be promoted between the appropriate international organisations of oilimporting countries (e.g. OECD), and of oil-producing countries (e.g. OPEC), in order to achieve the aims mentioned in paragraphs 7. b. i, ii and iii above;

c with regard to alternative sources of energy :

industrial countries combine and accelerate their research efforts, in order not only to recover oil from new sources (e.g. tar sands, oil shales) but also to exploit and develop sources of energy other than oil, such as nuclear, solar and geothermic energy, as well as coal and natural gas, so as to diversify their energy supplies, with due regard to the security, cost and environmental aspects involved ;

active encouragement be given to research which should be coordinated in the framework of the appropriate European and other international organisations, with a view to developing all available energy sources, together with techniques for the storage, transport and rational use of energy ;

the European countries concerned make available the financial resources required for the research referred to in paragraphs 7. c. i and ii above and for pursuing an agreed and coordinated nuclear energy policy, particularly by accelerating the simultaneous development of different systems of uranium enrichment (such as diffusion and ultracentrifugation) and of fast breeder systems ;

detailed research be undertaken on the national and European levels with a view to increasing the effectiveness of the various sources of energy, and special attention be paid to the security aspect and possible damage to the environment in particular by the use of nuclear energy.