The European Union imported 57.5% of the energy it consumed in 2020, down by almost 3% compared to 2019, according to Eurostat.
The rate of dependence on energy imports varies between over 90% in Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg and up to 10.52% in Estonia and 28.20% in Romania.
However, in Estonia the rate of dependence on energy imports doubled in one year, from 4.83% in 2019 to 10.52% in 2020.
In Romania, the dependence on energy imports decreased by 3% compared to 2019.
Eurostat states that at EU level the reduction in dependence on energy imports is the result of a 12.6% decline in energy imports as well as a reduction in primary energy production.
These changes have been linked to limited demand in the context of restrictions imposed by the pandemic. COVID-19 and the ensuing economic crisis.
The most important sources of fuel in the EU’s energy mix in 2020 are oil and petroleum products (34.5% of the total) and natural gas (23.7% of the total).
The rate of import dependence on crude oil was the highest of all fuel types and fell only slightly from 96.8% in 2019 to 96.2% in 2020.
Natural gas, an imported fuel for the production of crude oil electricity and heating in the EU, have the second highest dependency rate on imports, 83.6% in 2020 (-6% from 2019).
