EU natural gas consumption has fallen dramatically in recent months as citizens and businesses attempt to avoid soaring energy prices.
According to data released on Tuesday by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, the bloc's gas consumption fell by 20.1% during the period August-November 2022 compared to the average consumption over the same months from 2017 to 2021.
Finland and the Baltic states recorded the largest declines in gas consumption, with the former registering an astounding decrease of -52.7%, followed by Latvia (-43.2%) and Lithuania (-41.6%).
By contrast, two Member States actually increased their gas consumption over the same period, namely Malta (+7.1%) and Slovakia (+2.6%).
The new data suggest that the EU is likely to meet (and possibly go beyond) its target of a 15% reduction in fossil fuel use this winter compared to the bloc's average consumption over the previous five years.
However, a significant number of Europeans are unlikely to find cause to celebrate. A recent study by The Economist magazine forecast that 147,000 Europeans will die this winter as a result of unaffordably high energy prices.
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There have also been reports of Belgians, who are among the EU's richest citizens, resorting to desperate measures — including burning household items — in their efforts to stay warm this winter.
