European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said the bloc has paid more than €100 billion ($113 billion) extra for energy this year without receiving one additional molecule of gas or oil.
He made the remarks on Tuesday, Sept. 29, ahead of an informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Ireland's capital Dublin. Jorgensen said the figure illustrates the direct cost of the bloc's reliance on imported fossil fuels. The commissioner's remarks came as European governments continue to manage the fallout from elevated global energy prices tied to disruptions in the Middle East and the EU's own decisions to reduce imports from Russia.
According to the commissioner, the additional spending did not deliver additional supply. Officials characterized the €100 billion ($113 billion) figure as extra payments made without additional gas or oil received.
Gas Prices and Iran War Context
The bloc's energy bill has increased since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in late February 2026, according to reporting on the conflict and its market effects. European benchmark gas futures rose in early September to their highest level since January 2023 after new U.S. strikes on Iran [1]. Dutch front-month futures jumped 5.9% to €73.95 ($83.82) per megawatt-hour as traders braced for a prolonged halt to liquefied natural gas shipping through the Strait of Hormuz [1].
"We can put aside the dream of competing with China or the U.S. as long as energy prices here remain at these levels," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a press conference of the Visegrad Four, according to remarks reported Sept. 11 [2]. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also acknowledged that the loss of cheap energy imports has dealt a blow to the EU economy and that the bloc now faces prices far above those of its main competitors [3].
Jorgensen said the approaching winter looks challenging. EU gas storage stood at around 64% in late August, far below the roughly 80% average maintained during that season in recent years, according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas [4]. Independent energy analysts have warned that a two-to-three-times price gap with the U.S. and China translates into a structural disadvantage for European industry [5].
U.S. Diesel Export Threat
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the White House is still "very seriously" considering a ban on U.S. diesel exports, a move that sent petroleum product prices higher [6]. The EU imports roughly half of its diesel directly from the U.S., according to trade data cited in reporting on the proposal [6].
Jorgensen said he sent U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright a clear message on the proposed ban. "It's not in the interests of anybody, not the U.S., not us," Jorgensen said, according to an account of his remarks. He added that he was encouraged by Wright publicly distancing himself from the measure.
The diesel threat compounds pressure that has already pushed pump prices to record levels. Germany posted a new all-time high of €2.471 ($2.80) per liter on Sept. 17, according to the ADAC motoring club, leaving motorists paying about €0.71 (80 cents) more per liter than a year earlier [7].
Italian energy major Eni capped diesel at €2.19 ($2.48) per liter and gasoline at €1.99 ($2.25) per liter at its Enilive service stations beginning Sept. 28. The company cited tighter refined-product supplies and reduced European refining capacity for the move [8].
Dependency and Winter Preparations
Jorgensen warned that continued reliance on imported energy is untenable, with every spike in global prices landing on citizens and industries. "We need to get out of that dependency. We need to replace the fossil fuels, the imported, polluting, expensive molecules with homegrown energy: green electrons," he said.
The commissioner's framing echoes longstanding criticism of Europe's energy trajectory. The EU's decision to cut ties with Russia for energy supplies has backfired, leading to higher gas prices and eroding industrial competitiveness, according to a February 2025 analysis [9].
Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that phasing out Russian energy could "kill" the EU economy. Meanwhile, European People's Party President Manfred Weber said the bloc cannot "kill its industry due to climate change" [5].
The EU faces no supply crisis, Jorgensen said, but the bloc wants "to eliminate any uncertainties that can be eliminated." German households face a new levy translating to a €42 ($47.89) annual increase in energy bills to fund an emergency gas reserve covering roughly two weeks of wintertime usage [10].
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the European Commission to temporarily lower EU quality requirements for diesel and kerosene, a step that could allow refineries to produce 5% to 20% more fuel [11]. Manufacturing representatives staged a protest outside European Commission headquarters in Brussels in September, carrying symbolic "industrial coffins" bearing slogans including "R.I.P. EU Competitiveness" and "R.I.P. European Factories" [12].
Outlook
The EU has not reported a supply crisis, according to Jorgensen. Officials said the winter season may be challenging and the bloc is seeking to reduce uncertainties. The €100 ($113 billion) billion figure was described as additional payments made without additional gas or oil received.
Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev described Europe as facing "the worst energy crisis in history" and called the situation "self-made," pointing to the EU's decision to cut Russian energy imports [13]. Eurozone inflation rose to 3.3% in August – up from 2.9% in July – driven primarily by energy costs, according to the EU statistics agency Eurostat [14].
The informal meeting in Dublin continued as ministers weighed the cost. The commissioner's remarks underscored a debate that has divided member states: whether to accelerate domestic production and diversify suppliers, or to reassess restrictions that critics say have raised costs without improving security.
References
- "European Gas Prices Rise to Highest Since 2023 as U.S. Intensifies Strikes on Iran". NaturalNews.com. September 5, 2026.
- "EU can forget about competitiveness at current energy prices – Tusk". RT.com. September 11, 2026.
- "Loss of cheap energy harmed EU economy – Von der Leyen". RT.com. August 28, 2026.
- "EU enters 'winter panic' mode as gas storage hits record low – Guardian". RT.com. August 29, 2026.
- "EU Energy Transition Policies Impose Economic Costs, Analysts Say". NaturalNews.com. July 31, 2026.
- "Trump 'very seriously' mulling diesel export ban". RT.com. September 28, 2026.
- "Diesel price explodes to record highs across Europe". RMX.news. September 18, 2026.
- Charles Kennedy. "Italian Energy Giant Eni Caps Fuel Prices As Refining Crunch Drives Costs Higher". ZeroHedge.com. September 28, 2026.
- Willow Tohi. "Is the EU finally reconsidering its energy war with Russia?". NaturalNews.com. February 3, 2025.
- "Germany to Impose Energy Levies to Fund Emergency Gas Reserve". NaturalNews.com. July 12, 2026.
- "Macron urges von der Leyen to relax EU fuel rules as energy crunch bites". RT.com. September 22, 2026.
- "Metal Sector Staging Brussels Demonstrations Over Cheap Import Pressure and Rising Energy Costs". NTD.com. September 8, 2026.
- "EU facing 'worst energy crisis in history' – Putin envoy". RT.com. September 20, 2026.
- "Inflation Rises Again Above 3 Percent in Eurozone". TheEpochTimes.com. September 1, 2026.
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