In a report published on 28 January, the think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) criticises the EU for lagging behind in the energy transition and the development of clean transport, and warns against dependence on US fossil fuel imports.
The United States is estimated to have supplied 19% of the EU’s total fossil fuel imports, an increase of 7% over one year, due to the rise in LNG exports.
According to the report, the country has become the EU’s largest supplier of fossil fuels for the first time - and the energy purchase commitments in the July 2025 EU-US trade agreement are expected to confirm this momentum in the years to come (see EUROPE 13707/17).
“The average EU citizen spent €150 on imports from the United States, calling into question the bloc’s commitment to energy security as it shifts away from Russian fossil fuel imports to the US, and clean energy investments come up short”, laments CREA.
Without the delays in deploying wind power and decarbonising transport, the EU would have been able to reduce oil and gas consumption by more than the total amount of imports from Russia in 2025, the report points out.
It also points out that the cold weather and unfavourable conditions for the production of hydroelectricity and wind power have contributed to an increase in emissions from the heating sector and masked progress in the energy transition.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/kjl (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)