on (EU27), focusing on the residential and transportation sectors, from 1971 to 2022. Using official datasets from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Eurostat, and the World Bank, the analysis reveals long-term trends in the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, as well as the relationship between energy consumption and economic performance, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The results indicate a partial decoupling of economic growth from energy consumption, particularly after 2000, reflecting improved energy efficiency and structural economic changes. The residential sector shows a significant shift away from coal and oil products toward renewables and waste, while the transport sector remains heavily dependent on oil products, despite policy interventions. The study finds that while EU energy transition policies have had a measurable impact, especially in the residential sector, progress remains uneven across industries. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on sustainable energy transitions and underline the need for continued policy support, technological investment, and behavioural adaptation to achieve EU climate objectives.
Tzavaras et al. (Wed,) studied this question.