LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – During the second quarter of 2026, European Union saw a 55.8% increase in the value of petroleum oil imports, despite volumes remaining relatively stable. Eurostat reported that the import volume reached 36.7 million tonnes, which is a 1.2% rise compared to the monthly average of 2025. This indicates a sharp increase in import value without a corresponding rise in physical oil shipments. The data reflects crude petroleum oils coming into the EU from nations outside the bloc.
Natural gas in liquefied form followed a different trend during the same quarter. EU LNG import value increased by 4.1%, while import volume declined by 5.6% from the 2025 monthly average. In contrast, natural gas in gaseous form saw growth in both metrics. Its value grew by 18.5%, and volume increased by 3.4%. These shifts reveal that the three main energy import categories experienced varying changes in value and physical quantities during the period.
In the second quarter, the United States supplied 18.8% of the EU’s petroleum oil imports, making it the leading source. Norway provided 14.3%, and Kazakhstan contributed 13.4%. These three countries together accounted for 46.5% of the EU’s petroleum oil imports during this time. The rankings for natural gas suppliers varied. The U.S. led in LNG shipments, while Norway held the largest share of gaseous natural gas imports.
United States Dominates EU LNG Supplies
The U.S. supplied 63.2% of the EU’s liquefied natural gas imports in the second quarter of 2026. Russia was the second-largest provider with 17.3%, followed by Algeria at 8.1%. These three together made up 88.6% of LNG imports in the period. The concentration of supply was higher than in petroleum oils, where the top three suppliers accounted for less than half. These figures show each supplier’s share of EU imports for the respective energy type.
Norway supplied 51.2% of the EU’s natural gas in gaseous form during the same quarter. Algeria was second with 18.2%, and the United Kingdom followed at 11.1%. Russia accounted for 10.2%, ranking below the UK in this category. Eurostat compiled the data from Comext trade information and statistical estimates. The energy categories include crude petroleum oils, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas in gaseous form.
Oil Import Value Rebounds After 2025 Drop
The increase in the second quarter followed a year when EU petroleum oil imports declined in both value and volume. In 2025, the import value fell by 17.8% from 2024, and volumes dropped by 6.1%. Across all energy types, the EU spent €336.7 billion on energy imports in 2025, totaling 723.3 million tonnes. That year, total energy import value decreased by 11.1%, and overall volume decreased by 0.6%. These annual figures reflect energy imports from outside the EU.
A longer-term comparison shows that EU energy imports in 2025 were still below 2022 levels. In 2022, imports were worth €693.4 billion with a volume of 849.6 million tonnes. By 2025, value had dropped by 51.4%, and volume by 14.9%. The oil figures for the second quarter of 2026 indicate a significant rise in import value compared to the 2025 monthly baseline. However, physical volumes remained close to that reference point.