Despite the European Union’s efforts to gradually phase out fossil fuel imports from Russia by 2027, Russian gas imports to the EU rose by 18% last year. The main contributors to this increase were countries such as Italy, the Czech Republic, and France, according to an analytical report from the Ember Institute.
This growth in imports occurred despite no increase in energy demand in the region. Ember also predicts that the EU plans to increase its LNG import capacity by 54%, even though gas demand is expected to remain stable until 2030, which experts believe could lead to an excess of infrastructure.
Jiri Tylecek, an analyst at XTB, explains the rise in imports by the fact that Russian gas remains economically attractive despite political tensions. He criticizes European policy, calling it hypocritical, as politicians pretend to stop trading with Russia while failing to create conditions for halting imports.
Ember also warns that relying on alternative gas supplies from other countries, such as the US, could be risky due to rising geopolitical tensions. The EU has proposed plans to expand LNG infrastructure, but this could increase dependency on potentially unreliable suppliers.
