The Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain are among the top ten countries worst hit by additional fossil-fuel import costs caused by disruption in the Middle East, according to a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Across the 170 countries examined, 134 paid more for diesel than markets had anticipated before the war, CREA's report reveals. The Netherlands recorded an estimated €11.5 billion in additional costs between March and August 2026, followed by Italy at €12.7bn, France at €10.8bn and Spain at €8.8bn.
Together, the four EU economies absorbed almost €41bn in extra fossil-fuel costs without importing any new volumes of energy.
The figures highlight European economies' exposure to global oil and gas prices, revealing a crisis that has added more than €282bn to fossil-fuel import bills worldwide, with oil alone accounting for €140bn of the increase.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices rose by 60% in the Atlantic and 75% in the Pacific, while diesel and petrol prices jumped 59% since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on 28 February.
