LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In the second quarter of 2026, European Union saw a significant 55.8% increase in petroleum oil import value, despite only a marginal change in import volumes. Eurostat reported that the import volume reached 36.7 million tonnes, representing a 1.2% rise compared to the monthly average in 2025. These figures highlight a notable rise in import expenditure without a corresponding increase in actual oil shipments. The data encompasses crude petroleum oils entering the EU from countries outside the bloc.
Natural gas imports in liquefied form showed a contrasting trend during the same period. EU LNG import value grew by 4.1%, even though the volume fell by 5.6% compared to the 2025 monthly average. Conversely, natural gas in gaseous form experienced increases in both value and volume, with an 18.5% rise in import value and a 3.4% increase in volume. These outcomes indicate that the three main categories of energy imports moved at varying rates in terms of monetary worth and physical quantity during the quarter.
The United States was the leading supplier of petroleum oil to the EU in the second quarter, accounting for 18.8% of total imports. Norway supplied 14.3%, and Kazakhstan contributed 13.4%. Collectively, these three nations made up 46.5% of the EU’s petroleum oil imports during this period. The rankings among suppliers varied for 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 Imports
During the second quarter of 2026, the United States supplied 63.2% of the EU’s liquefied natural gas. Russia supplied 17.3%, and Algeria accounted for 8.1%. These three providers together represented 88.6% of LNG imports in the period. This concentration is notably higher than in petroleum oil, where the three largest suppliers accounted for less than half of the imports. The percentages reflect each partner’s share of EU imports for the respective energy type.
Norway supplied 51.2% of the EU’s gaseous natural gas imports during the quarter. Algeria was second with 18.2%, and the United Kingdom followed with 11.1%. Russia’s share was 10.2%, ranking behind the United Kingdom in this category. The quarterly figures, compiled from Comext trade data and statistical estimates by Eurostat, cover crude petroleum oils, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas transported in gaseous form.
Oil Import Values Rebound After 2025 Decline
The rise in oil import value during the second quarter comes after a year marked by declines in both value and volume for EU petroleum oil imports. In 2025, the value of petroleum oil imports decreased by 17.8% from 2024 levels, while volume dropped by 6.1%. Across all energy products, the EU imported €336.7 billion worth of energy in 2025, totaling 723.3 million tonnes. The overall energy import value declined by 11.1%, with a slight decrease of 0.6% in volume, based on annual data covering energy imports from outside the EU.
Longer-term comparisons show that EU energy imports in 2025 were still below the levels recorded in 2022. In that year, imports were valued at €693.4 billion, with a volume of 849.6 million tonnes. By 2025, values had fallen by 51.4%, and volume had decreased by 14.9% from those figures. The oil import figures for the second quarter of 2026 thus reflect a substantial rebound in value compared to the 2025 monthly average, even though physical volumes remained close to the previous benchmark.