National legislation
The Law of 21st December 2023 on holding compulsory stocks of petroleum and petroleum products, holding additional strategic stocks for the country’s energy supply in the event of an energy crisis, managing a petroleum supply crisis and organising ASEVA (link to the French version of this Law) contains the requirements that the strategic oil stocks need to meet, creates the possibility for ASEVA to hold additional energy stocks in the future and sets out the main principles for the national oil crisis policy. It forms the legal backbone of APETRA and fixes its institutional clauses.
From the law a series of executive decrees derive that fix more in detail the national stockholding system.
Important for the oil crisis policy are the following executive decrees:
Royal decree of 19 December 2018 (in French) concerning the creation, composition, missions and working procedure of the National Oil Bureau.
This National Oil Bureau becomes active in case of a (imminent) oil crisis, advises the Minister of Energy and monitors the impact on the oil market.
Royal decree of 5 February 2019 (in French) determining the measures in force during an oil crisis for the international and national allocation of oil and oil products and for a fair sharing of the available oil and oil products and determining the rules for the use of the compulsory stocks of oil and oil products.
This RD contains the main rules for the oil crisis policy.
Unofficial English translation of the Royal decree of 5/2/2019