On 26 November 1975, in view of the challenges presented by the global oil crisis, the Secretariat-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the reply from the WEU Council to Assembly Recommendation 260 on the energy crisis and European security. The Council shares the Assembly’s wish for a Community energy policy and emphasises how important it is for Commission representatives to attend international meetings, particularly those of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Council also draws attention to the problem of constituting and maintaining strategic reserves of oil products for civilian and military purposes. International agreements within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the IEA and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) stipulate that Western states should maintain oil reserves and undertake to submit regular reports on their stocks. The Council is also aware of the related question of energy security in Western countries.