The head of the IEA called the slow electrification of Europe a serious mistake.
Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said on July 11 that Europe had made a "serious mistake" by failing to reduce its economy's dependence on imported fossil fuels quickly enough after the 2022 energy crisis.
"This, in my opinion, is a serious mistake for Europe. In general, I hoped and expected that Europe would respond to this crisis more decisively," the Financial Times newspaper quoted him as saying.
The level of electrification in the European Union (EU) is about 23%, which constrains the competitiveness and economic "sovereignty" of the bloc. The head of the IEA noted that this indicator remains comparable to the level of large oil producers, despite Europe's significant dependence on hydrocarbon imports.
According to him, Europe should focus on countries with electrification levels above 30%, such as China, Japan and South Korea. European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen added that the EU indicator has been stagnating for about 10 years and the region needs to significantly accelerate the transition to electricity in industry, transport and heating, which are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
In June, it was reported that sales of motor fuel in the eurozone countries reached their lowest level since 2023, helped by rising gasoline prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East. It is noted that since April, the average cost of gasoline in the EU has increased by 13.6%, while diesel has risen in price in 12 countries by 33.7% on average.
In May, European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen reported that Europe had overpaid €35 billion for energy since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East. He noted that the EU, despite the diversification of energy supply chains and other measures taken, is still vulnerable to such economic shocks.
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