In July 2026, the European Union (EU) had 103.5 million tonnes of emergency oil reserves. Compared to June 2026, these reserves decreased by 2.5%, while compared to July 2025, the drop was even more substantial, at 4.2%, according to data released by Eurostat.
In 2025, emergency oil reserves remained stable at an average of 108.5 million tonnes; however, they fell to 105.5 million tonnes in December, only to recover to previous levels in the first quarter of 2026. From March 2026 onwards, they have shown a downward trend.
The current levels are primarily composed of crude oil (43.7 million tonnes in the EU), diesel/gas oil (36.5 million tonnes), and petrol (9.8 million tonnes).
The European statistics office points out that crude oil and petroleum products are crucial for the EU's economy, and given the EU's dependence on oil imports, maintaining emergency oil reserves means greater energy security. EU legislation requires member states to maintain minimum emergency reserves of both crude oil and petroleum products.
In July 2026, 13 EU countries reported crude oil and petroleum product reserves below the minimum emergency reserve levels: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Portugal, Netherlands, Malta, and Romania.
Germany has the highest levels of emergency and commercial oil reserves.
According to EU legislation, countries must declare most of their commercial oil reserves, specifically those held by economic operators within their national territory for their own operational and commercial needs. Therefore, these reserves can be considered available for use, along with emergency reserves, in case of need.
In July 2026, the EU had 52.5 million tonnes of commercial oil reserves, which represents a 5.7% increase compared to the previous month and a 10.6% increase compared to July 2025.
Germany had the largest emergency oil reserves in July 2026, with 20 million tonnes. It was followed by France (16.4 million tonnes), Spain (14.2), and Italy (9.4) with the highest levels of emergency oil reserves.
Regarding commercial oil reserves, Germany also recorded the highest level, with 11.2 million tonnes, followed by the Netherlands (10.0 million tonnes), Italy (5.8), France (3.9), and Poland (3.5).
There were 6 EU countries where commercial oil reserves accounted for more than half of the total crude oil and petroleum products available: Netherlands (70.7%), Hungary (58.9%), Croatia (54.9%), Sweden (52.2%), and Denmark and Lithuania (51.9% each).
