26/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Europe seeks alternatives to Iranian oil. The European Commission is looking at alternative ways to ensure EU oil supply security, confirmed the services under Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger the day after the EU27's decision on 23 January to impose a gradual embargo on oil imports from Iran. Without giving details of exporting countries examined, the European executive states it is in close contact with the International Energy Agency (IEA), in particular for urgent cases, and in regular dialogue with the OPEC countries. Crude oil imports from Iran represent around 6% of total EU oil imports and Iran is the fifth largest supplier to the EU after Russia, Norway, Libya and Saudi Arabia. The major Iranian oil consumers among EU countries are Spain (14.6% of the country's total oil import), Greece (14%) and Italy (13.1%). (EH/transl.jl)