Luxembourg (energate) - Gas consumption in the European Union fell by around 19 per cent between August 2022 and January 2023. This means that the savings target of 15 per cent, which the energy ministers agreed on in the summer of 2022,
was exceeded across all member states, according to Eurostat, the statistics authority. However, not all countries managed to reach the agreed 15 per cent. Ireland, for example, saw a decline of only 0.3 per cent. In Slovakia and Malta, consumption actually increased. Germany's savings are slightly above the EU average of 19.3 per cent.
Spain (-13.7%) and Slovenia (-14.2%) only just missed the 15 per cent target. All other countries met or significantly exceeded the quota. The countries that saved the most were: Finland (-57.3%), Lithuania (-47.9%) and Sweden (-40.2%). Eurostat's analysis is based on monthly consumption data from the national statistics offices. According to this, the decrease in consumption compared to the previous year was particularly high in October (24.7%) and November (25%). In December only 12.6 per cent were reached, but in January again 22.1 per cent. The evaluation is published on the
Eurostat pages. /tc
