5+1 Key Facts about the OPEC Declaration of Cooperation

As OPEC’s Declaration of Cooperation with non-OPEC producers draws to a close (ending-2018), the future of this historic joint effort of 24 (now 25) OPEC and non-OPEC oil-producing countries has moved to the top of the producers’ agenda. The next Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee’s meeting on September 23rd in Algiers, could provide some hints regarding the future of the cooperative framework between the producers. Although OPEC and non-OPEC producers have collaborated in the past, albeit on a smaller scale, the Declaration of Cooperation has been a landmark agreement due to its success in meeting the many challenges faced in its planning, coordination and monitoring – at least in the short-term. Assessing its effectiveness beyond compliance levels and evaluating the dynamics underlying the success of the Agreement’s current framework as well as its members’ need for institutionalising a long-term cooperative framework, is of paramount importance for understanding what lies ahead and why oil policy will continue to matter in years to come. This Energy Comment discusses 5+1 key facts about the Declaration of Cooperation that shed light on the prospects and challenges in OPEC/NOPEC producers’ pursuit of cooperation.

By: Andreas Economou , Bassam Fattouh