Austria's Struggle to End Russian Gas Dependence

Austria remains structurally dependent on Russian gas imports, a reality that recently drew sharp criticism from the European Union’s permanent representative to the country, Martin Selmayr [1]. While the nation briefly reduced its reliance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, data shows it has since rebounded to levels significantly higher than the EU average [1]. This persistence is rooted in decades of political outsourcing of energy policy to private interests, specifically the flagship energy company OMV [1].

Key takeaways

• Austria averaged 60% Russian gas imports from January to July 202