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Archive:Enlargement countries - environment statistics

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Data from September 2016. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: October 2017.

This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of energy statistics for the EU enlargement countries, in other words the candidate countries and potential candidates. Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey currently have candidate status, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo [1] are potential candidates.

The article presents an overview of main energy indicators, notably primary energy production, net imports of energy and energy consumption, as well as information on the use of renewable energy sources for electricity generation.

Table 1: Primary energy production, 2004–2014
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a) and (cpc_energy)
Table 2: Net imports of energy and energy dependency, 2004–2014
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a), (demo_pjan), (cpc_energy) and (cpc_psdemo)
Table 3: Gross inland energy consumption and energy intensity of the economy, 2004–2014
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a), (tsdec360) and (cpc_energy)
Table 4: Analysis of final energy consumption, 2009 and 2014
(%)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a)
Figure 1: Electricity produced from renewable energy sources, 2009 and 2014 (1)
(% of gross electricity consumption)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_ind_335a) and (cpc_energy)

Main statistical findings

Primary production and net imports

In 2014, the EU-28’s primary energy production amounted to 771 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), 17.3 % lower than in 2004 (see Table 1). The general downward movement of EU production was gradual, except for 2009 when it fell considerably, in part due to the effects of the global financial and economic crisis. Lower primary production in the EU-28 may, at least in part, also be attributed to resources (such as oil, gas or coal fields) becoming exhausted or uneconomical.

Primary energy production in Turkey was 31.0 million toe in 2014, by far the largest value recorded amongst the enlargement countries, ahead of the 9.5 million toe of energy production in Serbia. In contrast to the situation in the EU-28, primary energy production increased between 2004 and 2014 in most enlargement countries, most notably in Albania (up 71.4 %) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (68.6 %) and to a lesser extent in Montenegro (48.1 %; 2005–2014), Turkey and Kosovo (both up 27.6 %). In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia primary energy production was 21.0 % lower at the end of the period than at the beginning while in Serbia a similar fall (20.6 %) was observed.

Coal and lignite was the main source of primary energy production in nearly all enlargement countries

The structure of primary energy production is largely determined by a territory’s natural resources and also by its strategic policy decisions which affect, in particular, the development of nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. In 2014, nuclear and renewable energy sources (under ‘Others’ in Table 1) made up more than half (56.4 %) of the energy production in the EU-28. By contrast, 83.6 % of Kosovo’s energy production was from coal and lignite and this was also the main source of primary energy production — accounting for more than half of all primary production — in nearly all of the other enlargement countries. The one exception was Albania where crude oil was the main source of primary energy production, with a share of 67.7 %.

Enlargement countries generally less dependent on energy imports

All of the enlargement countries were net importers of energy in 2014, as was the EU-28 (see Table 2). Relative to population size, the EU-28’s net energy imports were 1.74 toe per inhabitant, a little more than a third above the average (1.27 toe per inhabitant) recorded for Turkey, which had the highest ratio among the enlargement countries: all of the remaining enlargement countries reported net imports of 0.7 toe per inhabitant or less, in other words, less than two fifths of the level recorded in the EU-28.

Relative to its overall energy needs (gross inland consumption), Turkey also had the highest energy dependency, as net imports made up 78.3 % of gross inland energy consumption in 2014. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was the only other enlargement country that reported that net imports supplied more than half of gross inland energy consumption, with a ratio of 52.6 %; elsewhere among the enlargement countries this ratio was below 30.0 %. For comparison, the EU-28’s energy dependency was 53.5 %.

Energy consumption

Gross inland energy consumption is an indicator of overall energy needs of an economy, these being met by primary production and net imports (with data also reflecting changes in stocks and bunkers). In 2014, the EU-28’s gross inland energy consumption was 1.61 billion toe (see Table 3), having fallen from 1.82 billion toe in 2004. Between these years there was an overall downward path to gross inland consumption, with a notable fall in 2009 and rise in 2010, both related to the global financial and economic crisis.

In Montenegro, gross inland energy consumption fell particularly sharply in 2009, before rebounding in 2010 and 2011 and then gradually declining again to a level in 2014 that was 7.7 % higher than in 2005. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s consumption was relatively volatile in recent years, and was 4.4 % lower in 2014 than in 2004, despite having been higher in 2009, during the crisis. By contrast, Albania’s consumption was slightly higher in 2014 than it had been in 2004 (up overall by 2.5 %), with the level of consumption in 2009 clearly lower than in either of these years. Serbia’s consumption was 23.2 % lower in 2014 than in 2004, the largest fall among the enlargement countries, although it should be noted that there is a break in series. Turkey’s gross inland consumption increased 41.1 % between 2004 and 2014 while in Bosnia and Herzegovina the increase during this period was 116.9 %, in other words consumption more than doubled. Kosovo, like Montenegro and Albania, observed a relatively modest increase in energy consumption between 2004 and 2014, equal to 6.4 %.

High energy intensity in the enlargement countries, particularly in Serbia

Energy intensity is a measure of the efficiency with which an economy consumes energy to produce output, with gross domestic product (GDP) being used as the measure of overall output: it is expressed as units of energy consumed per unit of GDP, the latter in constant prices (or using chain-linked volume data) to remove the effects of inflation. As well as reflecting the efficiency of transforming energy sources (for example to electricity) or converting energy to heat, motion, light and other uses, this measure also depends on a range of factors, such as the economic structure of a country, the climate, the standard of living and transportation patterns/preferences, to name but a few.

The energy intensity of the EU and the enlargement countries (for which data are available) decreased between 2004 and 2009 and again between 2009 and 2014 except in Turkey where it increased between 2004 and 2009 (see Table 3). In 2014, 122 kilogrammes of oil equivalent were needed in the EU-28 to generate EUR 1 000 of GDP (at 2010 prices), a little more than half the amount needed in Turkey, about two fifths the amount needed in Montenegro or the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and a little more than a quarter of the amount needed in Serbia or Kosovo.

Albania reported a low but increasing industrial share of final energy consumption

Industry accounted for approximately one quarter of the final energy consumption of the EU-28 in 2014 (see Table 4). This share rose from 24.0 % in 2009 to 25.9 % in 2014, although it is important to note that 2009 was a low point in industrial activity as a result of the global financial and economic crisis. Several enlargement countries had higher shares of final energy consumption for industry, notably Turkey where the share was nearly one third (32.5 %). By contrast, in Montenegro and Albania, the industrial share was below one fifth. Comparing 2009 and 2014 the industrial share fell greatly in Montenegro, while the share of industry in final energy consumption rose in all of the remaining enlargement countries for which data are available (no time series for Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The share of final energy consumed by transport was 33.2 % in the EU-28 in 2014, which, with the exception of Albania (40.7 %), was higher than in the enlargement countries. The relative share of transport in final energy consumption rose between 2009 and 2014 in the EU-28 and three of the enlargement countries, the exceptions being Albania where there was a small fall in the share, Kosovo where there was a larger fall, and Serbia where there was no change.

The share of final energy consumption by households was just under one quarter (24.8 %) in the EU-28 in 2014, which was a smaller share than in all but one of the enlargement countries; the exception was Turkey, where households accounted for 22.3 % of final energy consumption. Among the enlargement countries, the share of final energy consumption by households in 2014 peaked in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 48.1 %, with shares close to two fifths recorded in Kosovo and Montenegro.

Electricity generation

Renewable sources’ contribution to electricity generation often far higher in the enlargement countries than in the EU

The EU came close to its target of a 21 % contribution from renewable energy sources to electricity production by 2010: the share in 2010 was 19.7 % and in 2011 this target was surpassed (21.7 %), rising again in subsequent years to reach 27.5 % in 2014. In the five years between 2009 and 2014 the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the EU-28 increased by 8.5 percentage points (see Figure 1).

In four of the six enlargement countries with data available (no data for Kosovo) the propensity to generate electricity from renewable energy sources was above the EU-28 average, most notably in Montenegro where this share reached 54.1 % in 2014. The exceptions were the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey where the shares of electricity produced from renewable energy sources were 15.5 % and 21.1 % respectively.

Like the EU-28, Serbia reported a large increase in the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources between 2009 and 2014, whereas in Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia there were more modest increases and in Albania the share fell. It should be noted that hydro-power was often the major source of renewable energy used for electricity generation in the enlargement countries, the output of which is dependent on rainfall that varies from one year to the next.

Data sources and availability

Data for the enlargement countries are collected for a wide range of indicators each year through a questionnaire that is sent by Eurostat to partner countries which have either the status of being candidate countries or potential candidates. A network of contacts in each country has been established for updating these questionnaires, generally within the national statistical offices, but potentially including representatives of other data-producing organisations (for example, central banks or government ministries). The statistics shown in this article are made available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a wide range of other socio-economic indicators collected as part of this initiative.

In order to meet the increasing requirements of policymakers for energy monitoring, Eurostat has developed a coherent and harmonised system of energy statistics. As well as covering EU Member States and EFTA countries these data are also collected from several enlargement countries. Time series are generally available from 1990 onwards. The collection of energy data is based on Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008 on energy statistics.

Data are available for a variety of fuel types, namely solid fuels, crude oil and petroleum products, natural and derived gases, nuclear heat, electricity, waste and renewable energy sources. Basic data on energy quantities are in fuel specific units, such as liquid fuels in thousand tonnes, electricity in kilowatt-hours; these units are converted to common energy units (such as tonnes of oil equivalent (toe)) to allow the addition or comparison of data for different energy sources.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

Value in italics     data value is forecasted, provisional or estimated and is therefore likely to change;
: not available, confidential or unreliable value.
– not applicable.

Context

A competitive, reliable and sustainable energy sector is essential for all economies. The energy sector has been under the spotlight in recent years due to a number of issues that have pushed energy to the top of national and EU political agendas, for example, concerning the security of supply of fossil fuels and the impact of the production and consumption of energy on the environment.

In 2009, a ‘climate and energy package’ was adopted by the EU, with the goal of combating climate change and boosting the EU’s energy security and competitiveness through the development of a more sustainable and low-carbon economy. This package includes a set of binding targets which are referred to as the 20–20–20 targets which commit the EU to the following changes by 2020:

  • a reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions of at least 20 % below 1990 levels;
  • at least 20 % of the EU’s gross final energy consumption to come from renewable energy sources;
  • at least 10 % of transport final energy consumption to come from renewable energy sources;
  • a 20 % reduction in primary energy use compared with projected levels, to be achieved by improving energy efficiency.

The European Commission is looking at cost-efficient ways to make the European economy more climate-friendly and less energy-consuming; energy efficiency is expected to be a key driver of this transition. With its Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050(see COM (2011) 112 final), the European Commission has set out a pathway for achieving much deeper emission cuts by the middle of the century: by moving to a low-carbon society, the EU could be using around 30 % less energy in 2050 than it did in 2005.

The use of renewable energy sources is seen as a key element of the EU’s energy policy and should help to: reduce dependence on fuel from non-member countries; reduce emissions from carbon-based energy sources, and decouple energy costs from oil prices. In January 2014, the European Commission put forward a further set of energy and climate objectives for 2030 with the aim of encouraging private investment in infrastructure and low-carbon technologies. These objectives are seen as a step towards meeting greenhouse gas emission targets for 2050. The key targets proposed are to have 40 % less greenhouse gases in 2030 than there were in 1990 and for the share of renewable energy (in consumption) to reach at least 27% by 2030. Alongside the proposed targets were plans to reform the emissions trading system and to consider further amendments to the energy efficiency directive.

The energy community was established as an international organisation in 2006 and currently includes the EU and several non-member countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia among the enlargement countries as well as Moldova and Ukraine. Norway and Turkey have observer status, while Georgia is a candidate for membership. The aim of the energy community is to extend the internal market concerning energy to south-east Europe and beyond. The objectives are to:

  • attract investment in power generation and networks to ensure stable and continuous energy supply that is essential for economic development and social stability;
  • create an integrated energy market allowing for cross-border energy trade and integration with the EU market;
  • enhance the security of supply;
  • improve the environmental situation in relation to energy supply in the region;
  • enhance competition at a regional level and exploit economies of scale.

While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU enlargement process. EU standards in the field of statistics require the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as professional independence, impartiality, relevance, confidentiality of individual data and easy access to official statistics; they cover methodology, classifications and standards for production.

Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that statistical production of the enlargement countries complies with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as pilot surveys, training courses, traineeships, study visits, workshops and seminars, and participation in meetings within the European statistical system (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.

Additional information on statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided here.

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Database

Environment and energy (cpc_en)
Candidate countries and potential candidates: climate change and waste (cpc_enclimwa)
Greenhouse gas emissions by source sector (source: EEA) (env_air_gge)
Air emissions accounts by NACE Rev. 2 activity (env_ac_ainah_r2)
Air emissions accounts by NACE Rev. 1.1 activity (env_ac_ainah_r1)
Waste streams (env_wasst)
Municipal waste (env_wasmun)

Dedicated section

Methodology / Metadata

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.


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