EuroWire, BRUSSELS: The European Union’s fossil fuel import bill has risen by more than EUR 22 billion since the conflict in the Middle East began 44 days ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, highlighting the economic strain from disrupted Gulf energy flows. Speaking after an orientation debate by the Commission on the crisis, von der Leyen said the increase came without any additional imported energy volumes, underscoring how higher prices and supply disruptions are feeding through to businesses, households and transport costs across the bloc.
Von der Leyen said the surge in import costs showed the scale of the shock to the European economy as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, a development she described as greatly damaging for Europe. She said the disruption was already being felt by consumers at fuel stations, in supermarkets and in household bills. The Commission also said that even if hostilities were to stop immediately, interruptions to energy supplies from the Gulf would continue for some time, keeping pressure on prices and complicating the bloc’s effort to stabilise energy costs.
The Commission said it would present a package of measures on April 22 ahead of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Cyprus on April 23 and 24, where the bloc’s response to the energy shock is expected to feature prominently. Von der Leyen said any national support steps should be coordinated at EU level and designed to protect the single market. She said the measures under discussion were intended to be targeted at the most vulnerable groups, put in place quickly and limited in duration, reflecting lessons learned from the last major energy crisis.
Immediate coordination measures
A central element of the package is closer coordination on how member states refill gas storage, with Brussels seeking to prevent several governments from entering markets at once and driving prices even higher. The Commission also said it would coordinate any releases from oil stocks to maximise their effect. Von der Leyen pointed to the EU Energy Platform, set up during the 2022 energy crisis, as proof that joint action can reduce competition inside the bloc. She said the platform had helped aggregate 90 billion cubic metres of gas purchases and match 77 billion cubic metres between buyers and suppliers.
The Commission is also moving to give governments more room to support sectors exposed to the jump in fuel and fertiliser costs, including agriculture, road transport and shipping, while officials consult member states on a temporary state aid framework. Brussels has said it aims to adopt that framework this month. Von der Leyen said support measures should focus on vulnerable households and the hardest hit sectors, and should follow lessons learned during the last energy crisis, when broad national schemes risked fragmenting the internal market and weakening a coordinated European response.
Structural response takes shape
Alongside emergency steps, the Commission said it was preparing longer term measures aimed at cutting energy demand and reducing the bloc’s exposure to imported fossil fuels. Von der Leyen said more could be done on efficiency through building renovation and industrial equipment upgrades, while legislative proposals on electricity taxes and grid charges are due in May. She also said the Commission remains on track to review the EU emissions trading system in July and will present an electrification strategy before the summer to accelerate the shift toward domestic power sources and lower energy vulnerability.
Von der Leyen said renewables and nuclear now account for more than 70% of the EU’s electricity generation, but added that Europe still needs more storage, flexibility and faster grid connections to make better use of that supply. She said the latest turmoil had reinforced the Commission’s view that fossil fuel dependence leaves Europe exposed to external shocks and higher bills. For Brussels, the rise in the import tab has become both a warning over immediate vulnerability and a fresh argument for faster energy system reform.