Since its formation in 1960, OPEC has attached great importance to the responsibilities it attributes to the provision of a frontline energy source, namely working to ensure a stable, secure, well-managed oil sector. The very first resolution of the Organization aims to achieve stable oil prices, “with a view to eliminating harmful and unnecessary fluctuations”; a steady income for producing nations; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on their capital to investors. These principles are enshrined in the OPEC Statute, which was first adopted shortly after, in January 1961, and has provided the statutory beacon for the Organization’s actions in the market ever since.