Substantial successes have been achieved since 1973 in increasing energy efficiency and substituting other fuels for oil. However, reliance on oil and oil imports remains high. The temporary easing on the oil market must not lead to complacency as any relaxation in energy policy efforts may well...

The oil shock of 1973 and the subsequent world recession have drastically demonstrated the weakness of countries dependent on external energy supplies. In the following, Guido Brunner, the competent Member of the Commission of the European Communities, describes the changes we are facing in the...