About the IEA

Until the mid 1970's energy supply policy was a side issue for the industrialized nations: all the energy services needed could be provided with the fossil sources of energy available in the market.The oil crisis in October 1973 was a turning-point in national and international energy policies - for the first time the extent of dependence on the oil-exporting countries was revealed, and the security of the supply of energy in future seemed to be in jeopardy.

As a reaction to the crisis, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was set up in 1974 as an autonomous entity within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with headquarters in Paris.

Austria is one of 16 founding members; today the IEA has 29 members (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, UK).

The IEA is committed to advising on and coordinating national energy policy in the member states.