Energised Foreign Policy. Security of Energy Supply as a New Key Objective

It is necessary to reassess the best way to guarantee the security of energy supply in the future. This applies to medium and long-term energy supply as well as to acute energy crises as a result of disruptions in supply. Such disruptions can be caused by several factors, including natural disasters (e.g. hurricanes), terrorism or technical failures. The present advisory report aims to provide a framework for this reassessment. Chapter 2 analyses the world energy situation for the next 20 to 30 years. The advisory councils believe that a brief analysis suffices, as on most issues it is possible to refer to existing publications. Following this, chapter 3 examines Dutch energy interests relating to supply security. Chapter 4 translates these interests into foreign policy objectives. Chapter 5 concludes with a summary and recommendations.The most important conclusion in the title publication of the Dutch Energy Council is that developments on the world energy markets (increasing demand, uncertainty about availability of oil and gas and politicization of energy markets) force the Dutch government to consider energy supply security as the new main target in its foreign policy