LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In the second quarter of 2026, European Union saw a significant 55.8% increase in the monetary value of petroleum oil imports, despite little change in the actual volume of these shipments. According to Eurostat, the total import volume reached 36.7 million tonnes, which is a 1.2% rise from the monthly average recorded in 2025. These figures highlight a pronounced rise in the import’s monetary worth without a corresponding growth in physical oil quantities. The data specifically pertains to crude petroleum oils imported into the EU from countries outside the bloc.
Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas (LNG) exhibited a different pattern during the same period. EU LNG import value increased by 4.1%, whereas the import volume declined by 5.6% compared to the 2025 monthly average. Conversely, natural gas in gaseous form experienced growth in both metrics, with its value climbing 18.5% and volume increasing by 3.4%. These results illustrate that the three major categories of energy imports fluctuated at varying rates in both value and physical quantity during the quarter.
In the second quarter, the United States supplied 18.8% of the EU’s petroleum oil imports, making it the leading source. Norway accounted for 14.3%, while Kazakhstan contributed 13.4%. These three nations together supplied 46.5% of the EU’s petroleum oil during this period. The rankings among suppliers differed when considering natural gas categories, with the United States leading in LNG shipments and Norway holding the largest share of gaseous natural gas imports.
United States Dominates EU LNG Deliveries
During the second quarter of 2026, the United States represented 63.2% of the EU’s LNG imports. Russia supplied 17.3%, and Algeria provided 8.1%. Collectively, these three nations accounted for 88.6% of the LNG imported in that period. This concentration of supply was notably higher than in petroleum oil, where the three top suppliers held less than half of the total imports. The percentages reflect each partner’s share of EU imports for the specific energy commodity.
For gaseous natural gas, Norway supplied 51.2% of the EU’s imports, with Algeria in second place at 18.2%, and the United Kingdom at 11.1%. Russia supplied 10.2%, placing it behind the United Kingdom in this category. These quarterly figures are derived from Eurostat’s compilation of Comext trade data and statistical estimations. The energy products considered include crude petroleum oils, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas transported in gaseous form.
Recovery in Oil Import Value Follows Decline in 2025
The rise in the second quarter follows a year marked by declines in both the value and volume of EU petroleum oil imports. In 2025, the value of these imports fell by 17.8% compared to 2024, while the volume decreased by 6.1%. Overall, the EU imported energy worth €336.7 billion in 2025, totaling 723.3 million tonnes. During that year, the total energy import value dropped by 11.1%, and overall volume declined by 0.6%. These annual figures encompass energy imports from outside the EU.
A longer-term comparison shows that EU energy import totals in 2025 remained below the levels recorded in 2022. In 2022, energy imports were valued at €693.4 billion, with a volume of 849.6 million tonnes. By 2025, both the import value and volume had fallen significantly—by 51.4% and 14.9%, respectively. Consequently, the second-quarter 2026 figures for oil represent a notable increase in import value compared to the 2025 monthly average, with physical volumes staying relatively close to that benchmark.