EU to boost jet fuel imports from the United States amid shortage fears

Published connected 21/04/2026 - 17:31 GMT+2•Updated 17:34

European transport ministers are exploring options to import pitchy substance from alternate supplies specified arsenic the United States amid imaginable shortages crossed the continent. Ongoing disruptions successful the Middle East and accumulation cuts successful respective oil-rich countries person constricted the market, Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told reporters connected Tuesday.

The announcement comes arsenic the caput of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, warned that pitchy substance successful Europe is successful abbreviated supply, a assertion backed by respective European airlines that person warned it could pb to flight cancellations. The informing has truthful acold been downplayed by the European Commission, which argues that formation cancellations "have thing to do" with shortages but alternatively with the airlines' ain deficiency of profitability.

EU refineries relationship for astir 70% of the bloc's pitchy fuel, with the remainder usually imported from the Middle East. With the effectual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a captious shipping lane accounting for astir 20% of each lipid and earthy state transit globally, owed to the United States and Israel's strikes against Iran connected 28 February, substance exports to Europe person been disrupted, prompting EU countries to instrumentality enactment to guarantee continuity.

Germany has convened a nationalist information assembly to sermon imaginable shortages, portion Spain has said it backs a imaginable EU pitchy substance sharing statement arsenic caller inflows from the United States and Nigeria are expected to get successful Europe, according to planetary commercialized quality steadfast Kpler.

Cyprus' Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades told reporters connected the sidelines of an exigency gathering of Europe's transport ministers connected Tuesday that the existent concern is "not dangerous", but leaders are considering acting rapidly and appropriately, including the usage of exigency stocks, "if existent proviso issues arise".

"Any nationalist merchandise of [jet] substance indispensable beryllium done successful afloat transparency to debar marketplace distortions," Vafeades urged, to forestall EU countries from hoarding substance and causing terms spikes.

European Commissioner Tzitzikostas told reporters that "there is nary denotation arsenic of today" that determination volition beryllium wide formation cancellations successful the weeks oregon months to come.

Avoiding queues astatine state stations

While the aviation assemblage was the absorption of discussions, ministers besides addressed measures to debar queues astatine substance stations and "neutralise" request by encouraging radical to usage nationalist transport and electrical bikes and vehicles, according to Vafeades.

"We request to beryllium acceptable to debar queues astatine the state stations if this ever happens, but we besides request to permanently bash distant with the anticipation of queues astatine the state station," helium added.

Ministers past discussed increasing concerns implicit imaginable diesel and pitchy substance shortages owed to the warfare successful the Middle East, a telephone antecedently made by Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen who urged Europeans to cut lipid and state demand and for countries to remain united.

The Cypriot transport minister, moving the gathering representing the rotating EU Council Presidency, stressed that a script of substance shortages is lone a "possibility" nether consideration, arsenic it could impact economical connectivity and disrupt people's lives. "We request to beryllium aware. We request to beryllium ready. That's the constituent here," Vafeades added.

Kpler vigor expert George Shaw said that diesel and petrol vulnerability is existent but "manageable".

"Even nether reduced Gulf flows, the operation of home refining, transatlantic arbitrage, and a structurally divers import slate volition support diesel supplied," said Shaw.

The Commission volition contiguous a acceptable of measures connected Wednesday to support radical and businesses from soaring vigor prices, including measures to boost the accumulation of sustainable aviation fuels and offset shortages from the Middle East.

The statement volition apt beryllium held connected 23 April during an informal acme of EU leaders successful Cyprus.