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Cyprus has the largest share of petrol use in EU

Petrol/diesel oil was the main energy source in road transport in the EU in 2022, while Cyprus had the largest share of use of motor petrol among member states, according to data released by Eurostat.

Petrol/ diesel oil and motor petrol remained the leading energy sources in road transport in 2022, according to the statistics.

In the EU, petrol/diesel oil (excluding the biofuel portion) was the main source of energy in road transport in 2022, with a 65% share. Motor petrol (excluding the biofuel portion) followed at 25%, ahead of renewables and biofuels (6%), liquefied petroleum gases (2%), natural gas (1%) and electricity (0.3%).

In most EU countries, petrol/diesel oil was the primary source of energy for road transport, though there were noticeable differences between the countries.

The highest shares were reported in Latvia (80%) and Lithuania (76%), followed by Ireland, Austria, and Spain, each at 74%. In contrast, the lowest shares were recorded in Sweden (45%), Cyprus (46%) and the Netherlands (48%).

The share of motor petrol was highest in Cyprus (50%), the Netherlands (42%), and Malta (36%). The lowest shares were reported in Lithuania (13%), Latvia (14%) and Bulgaria (15%).

Energy consumption in transport at pre-pandemic levels

According to the statistics, in 2022 transport activities accounted for 31% of the final energy consumption in the EU, which made it the highest consumer of final energy, ahead of households (27%) and industry (25%).

Road transport was the largest energy consumer, responsible 74% of all energy consumption in transport, or 10,996 petajoules (PJ). Water transport accounted for 13% of all energy consumed in transport (1,935 PJ), followed by air (11%; 1,700 PJ) and rail transport (1%; 214 PJ).

Compared with 2021, air transport recorded the highest increase in energy consumption, with a striking 57% rise. In 2022, energy consumption levels in air transport were approaching the pre-pandemic figures, following sharp declines in 2020 and 2021.

Energy consumption also increased, if not as rapidly in road transport, which also approached 2019 levels.

Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.

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