DISINFO: Europe is committing energy suicide without Russia
SUMMARY
EU industrial production is at a record low. The situation may be described as Europe’s energy suicide.
RESPONSE
The claim is demonstrably false. While EU industrial production is not at its peak, it is not the worst either, being much higher than one decade ago and still higher than during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The reasons for the current situation are multiple, the rejection of Russia’s cheap energy is only one of them.
By painting an apocalyptic landscape, the goal of this disinformation story is to push the populations in the EU Member States to advocate for the removal of sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Europe is gradually reducing its energy imports from Russia. 42% percent of the energy consumed by the EU is now produced domestically. The share of Russia’s pipeline gas in EU imports dropped from over 40% in 2021 to about 8% in 2023. For pipeline gas and LNG combined, Russia accounted for less than 15% of total EU gas imports. Norway, the US and North Africa have replaced Russia as gas suppliers for the EU. Likewise, the EU's imports of Russian crude oil fell by 90% since the invasion. Russia accounted for less than 3% of the extra-EU petroleum oil import value in the first quarter of 2024. For the EU, a significant number of countries including the US, Norway, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan are now more important oil suppliers. Overall, EU imports of Russian fossil fuels decreased from a high of $16 billion per month in early 2022 to around $1 billion per month by the end of 2023.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that according to the Draghi report, EU faces economic difficulties due to rejection of Russian energy, that Europe’s unescapable dependence on Russia has it on the edge of the abyss, that sanctions that were supposed to destroy Russia may disintegrate the EU, or that Russia’s economy is massively outperforming that of the collective West.