Estonia Enters IEA Accession Talks
Minister of Economic Affairs Juhan Parts began negotiations on October 18 for Estonia's accession to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The talks, held in Paris in conjunction with the IEA's biannual ministerial meeting, are the latest in a long line of steps Estonia has taken to join the energy security organization, uudised.err.ee reported.
“Energy security is of particular importance for Estonia and here we can take advantage of the IEA's many years of experience,” Parts said before the start of negotiations.
The IEA is an autonomous agency founded by the OECD, in response to the world's first major oil crisis in 1973-74, to help countries co-ordinate a joint response to major disruptions in oil supply.
Membership in the IEA is currently limited to OECD member states, of which Estonia is one of only six that are not yet members. The national energy sector's development strategy up to 2020 also includes a roadmap for adopting IEA policy rules, which was one of the prerequisites of beginning the accession process.
Steve Roman
