LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – European Union increased its spending on petroleum oil imports significantly in the second quarter of 2026, despite nearly stable physical volumes. According to Eurostat, the import value rose by 55.8% compared to the monthly average for 2025. The volume of oil imported reached 36.7 million tonnes, reflecting a 1.2% rise. The data illustrates a notable disparity between the growth in expenditure and the actual quantities brought into the union. Consequently, this quarter experienced a much larger change in value than in tonnage.
Meanwhile, EU imports of liquefied natural gas demonstrated a different trend. LNG import value increased by 4.1%, even as volume decreased by 5.6% from the 2025 monthly average. The import of natural gas in gaseous form, however, saw growth in both value and volume, with an 18.5% rise in import value and a 3.4% increase in physical volume. The quarterly figures account for energy products purchased by EU member states from outside suppliers, enabling a direct comparison of the main fossil energy imports into the union across categories.
In the second quarter, the United States remained the primary supplier of EU petroleum oil, with an 18.8% share. Norway followed at 14.3%, and Kazakhstan contributed 13.4%. These three nations collectively supplied 46.5% of the EU’s petroleum oil imports during that period. When it comes to liquefied natural gas, the United States held a substantially larger share of the total imports, indicating a higher supplier concentration. The rankings reveal distinct supply patterns between oil, LNG, and pipeline gas.
United States leads EU LNG imports
During the second quarter of 2026, the United States supplied 63.2% of EU liquefied natural gas imports. Russia accounted for 17.3%, while Algeria contributed 8.1%. These three exporters made up 88.6% of the LNG imports in that period. This distribution contrasts with petroleum oil, where the top three suppliers held less than half of total imports. The data reflects each country’s share within the relevant EU energy import category and distinguishes LNG trade from natural gas imported in gaseous form.
Natural gas in gaseous form was predominantly supplied by Norway, which held a 51.2% share. Algeria ranked second at 18.2%, followed by the United Kingdom at 11.1%. Russia supplied 10.2% of imports in this category. The figures, compiled by Eurostat using Comext trade data and statistical estimates, encompass crude petroleum oils, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas transported in gaseous form. Breaking down by category allows for an accurate comparison of import shares without merging different fuel types.
Petroleum oil import value rebounds after decline in 2025
The notable second-quarter increase in petroleum oil import value follows a period of decline throughout 2025. In that year, EU petroleum oil import value decreased by 17.8% compared to 2024, while volume declined by 6.1%. Overall, the bloc imported €336.7 billion worth of energy in 2025, with a total volume of 723.3 million tonnes. The annual data indicates an 11.1% drop in energy import value and a 0.6% decrease in volume. These figures serve as the benchmark for analyzing the recent quarterly trends in oil, LNG, and gaseous natural gas imports.
Energy imports into the EU in 2025 still remained below the levels seen in 2022, when the bloc imported €693.4 billion worth of energy, with a volume of 849.6 million tonnes. By 2025, import value had fallen by 51.4% from that peak, and volume was down by 14.9%. As a result, the second quarter of 2026 saw a sharp rise in oil import value compared to 2025’s monthly average, accompanied by only a modest increase in physical volume. The latest data indicates that quarterly oil volumes are close to the monthly average of the previous year.