Since mid-2022, the EU countries have reduced their gas consumption by more than 19 percent compared to previous years, thereby exceeding their own savings target. At a good 19 percent, Germany is on average, according to figures from the EU statistics office Eurostat.

After Russia sharply reduced gas imports to the EU after invading Ukraine, EU countries pledged to reduce their needs in the months between August and March by 15 percent compared to the average for the same period in the previous five years.

According to the Eurostat evaluation for August to January, 22 of the 27 EU member states have reduced their consumption by 15 percent or more. Finland is at the top with a minus of more than 57 percent, followed by Lithuania with almost 48 percent less and Sweden with a decrease of around 40 percent. Malta, up around 12 percent, and Slovakia, up around 4.5 percent, were the only two countries to see higher demand.