The EU imported less natural gas in the first quarter of 2026 than the 2025 monthly average, with the value of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports down 8.0% and the value of pipeline gas imports down 12.7%.
LNG is natural gas cooled into a liquid so it can be transported by ship, while “gaseous state” refers to gas delivered through pipelines, Eurostat noted in a release on Friday.
Pipeline gas imports fell in both value and volume, with volumes down 4.0% compared with the 2025 monthly average.
LNG volumes moved in the opposite direction, rising 2.9% even as the value of imports dropped.
Imports of petroleum oil were broadly unchanged compared with the 2025 monthly average, with import values up 0.8% and volumes down 0.6%.
United States and Norway among largest suppliers
The United States (17.8%) and Norway (16.6%) were the biggest suppliers of petroleum oil to the EU in the first quarter of 2026 by value, followed by Kazakhstan (9.6%), Eurostat said.
More than half of the EU’s LNG imports by value came from the United States (57.4%), while Russia supplied 17.3% and Qatar 6.6%.
Norway accounted for 54.4% of the EU’s pipeline gas imports by value, with Algeria supplying 18.5% and Russia 9.8%.
