The share of fossil fuels within the gross energy available in the European Union stood at 70% in 2020 (compared to 71% in 2019), and this percentage has decreased significantly in recent decades, due to the increase in the share of energy from renewable sources, according to data released by the Office European Statistical Office (Eurostat).

Since 1990, the first year for which data are available, the share of fossil fuels used in the European Union has fallen by 13 percentage points (pp).

Over the last decade, all EU Member States have seen a decline in the share of fossil fuels in available gross energy. The most significant decline was in Estonia (from 91% in 2010 to 66% in 2020; minus 25 pp), Denmark (from 81% to 59%; minus 22 pp) and Finland (from 57% to 41%, minus 16 pp), according to Agerpres.

On the other hand, the lowest decreases were in Belgium (from 78% to 76%; minus 2 pp), Germany (from 81% to 78%; minus 3 pp) and Malta (from 100% to 97%; minus 3 pp).

In 2020, compared to 2019, in only two EU Member States, Lithuania and Malta, the share of fossil fuels in the available gross energy increased slightly, in Belgium it remained unchanged, and among the states in which it decreased, the most significant decline was in Estonia (minus 7 pp), Denmark (minus 5 pp), Portugal, Latvia, Spain, Bulgaria and Luxembourg (all minus 4 pp).

In 2020, Malta (97%) was the EU Member State with the highest share of fossil fuels in crude energy available, followed by the Netherlands (90%), Cyprus (89%), Ireland (87%) and Poland (86%). Most EU Member States had a share of between 60% and 85% (including Romania, of 72%), and only Sweden (31%), Finland (41%), Latvia (57%) and Denmark (59%) of less than 60%.