The International Energy Agency (IEA) was set up in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis to help industrialised countries respond to major oil shocks. Since then, the IEA's work has expanded to cover overall energy security, economic development and clean energy.
IEA members
The founding members are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway (under a special Agreement), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.
They were followed by Greece (1976), New Zealand (1977), Australia (1979), Portugal (1981), Finland (1992), France (1992), Hungary (1997), Czech Republic (2001), Republic of Korea (2002), Slovak Republic (2007), Poland (2008), Estonia (2014), and Mexico (2018) and Lithuania (2022).
Chile, Colombia and Israel are seeking full membership. The criteria for membership are described on the IEA's website.
Structure and cooperation
The EU fully participates in IEA's work through IEA Governing Board meetings and in committees. The EU also participates in IEA technology collaboration platforms where countries and organisations work together on energy research and technology.
Eurostat works with the IEA and other international organisations in the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) – a global initiative to collect accurate and transparent oil and gas statistics.
Joint events
On 8 April 2022, the Commission and the IEA held an live-streamed virtual event where they outlined the 9 steps of the "Playing my part: How to save money, reduce reliance on Russian energy, support Ukraine and help the planet" plan. These actions, designed to help Ukraine by cutting the EU's reliance on Russian fossil fuels, were presented and discussed by Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen and by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.