In July 2026, the EU held 103.5 million tonnes of emergency oil stocks. Compared with June 2026, emergency oil stocks decreased by 2.5%, while compared with July 2025, the drop was more substantial, at 4.2%.
In 2025, emergency oil stocks were mostly stable around an average of 108.5 million tonnes; however, they fell to 105.5 million tonnes in December, then recovered to previous levels in the first quarter of 2026. From March 2026 onwards, they have been on a downward trend.
The current levels are mostly composed of crude oil (43.7 million tonnes in the EU), gas/diesel oil (36.5 million tonnes) and gasoline (9.8 million tonnes).
Crude oil and petroleum products are crucial to the EU economy, and given EU’s oil import dependency, holding emergency oil stocks means more energy security. EU law requires EU countries to maintain minimum emergency stocks of both crude oil and petroleum products.
Emergency EU oil stocks and minimum stocklevel for compliance, January 2025 to July 2026 (total crude oil and oil products, million tonnes). Double axis chart: on the left axis: emergency oil stocks and minimium stocklevel for compliance in million tonnes; right-side axis: number of EU countries below the minimum emergency stock levels. Link to full dataset below. (....)