EU wants OPEC to raise oil output

Published: 21 February 2005 y., Monday
The European Union is talking with oil producers in the hope of persuading them to raise production and reduce oil costs, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Friday. "We will continue a dialogue with the producers to increase the supply", he told reporters after talks with Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser in Vienna. Asked if he wanted the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase production in order to bring oil costs down, he replied: "It would be useful." But Almunia said Europe would have to encourage energy efficiency because there was little chance of oil returning to the $25-per-barrel levels of two years ago. "Unfortunately I don’t see the possibility for a bigger reduction in the future, so we need to reinforce our policies for improving efficiency in using energy." "Europe has improved a lot in the energy efficiency of our economy and we will continue to do so in the future," he said. Almunia also said he was optimistic European finance ministers would agree on a new Stability Pact of fiscal rules when the ministers meet again in early March and be able to get unanimous support from a summit of government and state heads later next month.
Šaltinis: The News International
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Standard & Poor’s: Lithuanian Government Is Taking Sufficient Measures

Standard & Poor's (S&P) affirmed Lithuania's long-term investment grade sovereign foreign currency BBB credit rating and removed it from a CreditWatch negative position, citing government commitments to address deteriorating public finances. more »

Azerbaijan: MCCF signs first project

The EBRD-EIB Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund (MCCF) and Azerenerji Joint Stock Company are collaborating in order to promote energy-efficient power generation in Azerbaijan. more »

Obama: Nafta should expand trade

U.S. President Barack Obama, meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada, called on all three nations hit by the global recession to avoid resorting to protectionism. more »

EBRD loan to cut pollution in eastern Siberia

A 10-year $75 million EBRD loan will finance the construction of a combined heat and power plant in the east Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk which is expected to improve energy efficiency and cut pollution by 14 percent thanks to the use of more environmentally-friendly technologies. more »

Review of national aid schemes introduced during the financial crisis

The Directorate-General for Competition has issued a review of the aid schemes introduced by Member States and approved by the Commission during the financial crisis. more »

Tonga ferry sinks: dozens missing

Rescue planes from New Zealand have been taking part in a massive search for passengers after a ferry sank off the coast of Tonga. At least 27 people are missing. more »

Finding comfort in catering

Courtney Adams has always loved cooking. As a kid she baked brownies for her friends and in college her apartment was the place to go to for a home-cooked meal. But she never thought she'd cook for a living. more »

Commission authorises German temporary reduced‑interest loans scheme for green products

The European Commission has authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules, a scheme offering reduced-interest loans to businesses investing in the production of environmentally friendly products, as part of the German package to tackle the current economic crisis. more »

Former AB LEO LT financial director to start working at Danske Bankas

Ramūnas Bičiulaitis, former board member and financial director of AB LEO LT, starts working as head of the Finance Department of Danske Bankas. more »

EBRD sets fast pace with syndications despite challenging market conditions

The EBRD has kept up a rapid pace in the syndicated loans market, defying difficult market conditions and pulling together nine deals so far this year, worth a total €1.2 billion. more »