Every five years, the International Energy Agency publishes an exhaustive report on its Member countries' preparations to respond to any disruption of oil supplies. This review, the first since 1996, finds strong legislative frameworks and administrative structures in each country. Most countries have oil stocks well above the 90 days of net oil imports to which they are committed. IEA countries also have viable demand restraint programmes. Weaknesses in national programmes have been identified and will be corrected.

This review provides a thorough overview of emergency response potential agency-wide. It also contains detailed country-by-country analyses for 28 countries, including the Czech Republic, the newest IEA member, and the candidate countries Poland, Korea and the Slovak Republic. In each case assessment is offered of the main emergency response measures, include stockdraw, demand restraint, fuel switching, extra oil production and the sharing of oil supplies. A special section presents the legislative and (...) texts underlying each country programme.

The IEA was founded in 1974 following the oil shock of 1978, its main initials objective was to ensure an effective response to any farther oil disfurtion. While much has changed in 26 years, safeguarding the energy security afats Members remains a core mission for the Agency.