OPEC will be seeking harmony in Vienna next week. It won't be easy. Some of the oil cartel's worst infighting in its 50-year history looms. That could make it tougher to cope with the euro crisis, which shows no signs of easing and augurs poorly for the price of crude. The evidence suggests the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will not be able to do much about it.
Threats abound for convening oil ministers. America's shale boom is starting to sap demand from their most important customer. OPEC members are also consuming more of their own product, leaving less to export. But the events in Europe are shaping up as the most pressing concern.
The euro zone accounts for a mere 12 percent of global oil demand, according to BP, or about half as much as the United States. But the 20 percent price decline since March provides a taste of what could be in store if the continent's woes tilt developed countries back toward recession.
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