Countries such as Bulgaria and Greece are still dependent on Russian gas – despite the EU agreeing in March to phase out the union's dependence on Russian gas, coal, and oil, reports the Danish Ingeniøren, citing statistics from Eurostat.
During the first half of the year, EU countries collectively imported 13 percent more Russian gas compared to the same period last year.
Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, and Bulgaria continue to buy Russian gas through pipelines via Belarus, Ukraine, and Turkey.
Bulgaria imports more Russian gas than any other EU country.
In 2021, the year before Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas accounted for over 40 percent of the EU's total gas imports. In 2023, the figure stood at 15 percent.
