EU defence chief warns of fuel crunch if Europe goes to war

European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius warned that Europe must be prepared to rapidly increase energy production to sustain its armed forces in a potential conflict. Current fuel supplies are sufficient for peacetime, but demand could surge dramatically during a military crisis.

• EU must surge energy production for military use in case of war
• Current fuel consumption in peacetime is 8% of total capacity
• NATO requires 100,000 troops to be sustained in the first 10 days of a conflict
• Europe's refineries are closing or reducing capacity due to aging infrastructure and shifting demand
• EU aims to cut carbon emissions by 90% by 2040 but needs conventional energy now
• NATO approved a €27 billion Fuel Supply Chain Capability Programme to modernize infrastructure