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EU Energy Imports Fall 11.1% As LNG Rises And Oil Declines

Eurostat data show that EU energy imports reached €336.7 billion and 723.3 million tonnes in 2025. Both value and volume have declined compared to 2022 levels. Figures reflect changes in energy demand and sourcing across the EU.

Contrasting Trends In Energy Products

Data show an 11.1% year-on-year decline in import value and a 0.6% decrease in volume. Petroleum imports recorded the largest drop, with value down 17.8% and volumes falling 6.1% compared to 2024. LNG imports increased, with value rising 35.2% and volume up 24.4%. Natural gas in gaseous form recorded a 3.4% increase in value, while volumes declined by 5.3%.

Global Sourcing Realigned

The United States, Norway and Kazakhstan were the largest suppliers of petroleum oils, accounting for 15.1%, 14.4% and 12.7% of imports, respectively. In LNG, the United States supplied 56.0% of imports, followed by Russia at 13.9% and Qatar at 8.9%. Norway accounted for 52.1% of gaseous natural gas imports, with Algeria and Russia supplying 17.4% and 10.4%.

Implications For EU Energy Policy

Import levels declined from a peak of €693.4 billion and 849.6 million tonnes. Data reflect adjustments in energy sourcing and consumption. Changes indicate shifts in supplier structure and energy mix across the EU. Further developments will depend on market conditions and policy decisions.

Meta Bets On AI To Strengthen Facebook’s Appeal Among Creators

Meta is expanding its use of artificial intelligence to strengthen Facebook’s appeal among creators, unveiling plans to transform Creator Studio into a standalone AI-powered companion app designed to simplify content management and audience growth.

An AI Assistant Built Around Creator Workflows

Announced on Wednesday, the new app is currently being tested with a select group of creators and incorporates Facebook’s recently launched AI creator assistant. According to Meta, the tool provides personalised recommendations based on a creator’s content, audience engagement, performance metrics and growth objectives.

Rather than navigating multiple dashboards and analytics reports, creators will be able to ask questions directly in a conversational format. Queries such as when to post, how content is performing or what audiences are discussing in the comments can be answered through the assistant, with follow-up prompts offering deeper insights into engagement trends.

From Analytics To Action

Beyond reporting performance data, the platform is designed to help creators act on those insights. A new AI-powered comment management tool will identify priority interactions and suggest responses tailored to the creator’s tone and style. Suggested replies can be reviewed and edited before publication, allowing creators to maintain control over their communication while reducing the time spent managing engagement.

Daily recommendations will also be integrated into the app, highlighting key tasks such as reviewing recent content performance, tracking progress toward audience goals and responding to important comments. The aim is to turn Creator Studio into a more comprehensive productivity tool rather than a traditional analytics platform.

Why Meta Is Pushing Harder For Creators

The initiative comes as competition for creators intensifies across social media platforms. Facebook continues to compete with TikTok and YouTube for audience attention, making creator retention an increasingly important priority. By embedding AI more deeply into creator workflows, Meta is seeking to make content planning, performance analysis and community management easier without requiring users to rely on external tools.

Keeping more of those activities within Facebook’s ecosystem could help strengthen creator engagement while reducing dependence on third-party AI platforms for brainstorming, analytics and audience insights.

Part Of A Broader App Expansion Strategy

Wednesday’s announcement fits into a broader pattern of product launches from Meta. Last month, the company introduced Forum, a stand-alone app for Facebook Groups that functions similarly to Reddit. In April, it launched Instants, an app for sharing disappearing photos with Instagram friends.

The pipeline appears to be growing. The New York Times reported this week that Meta is also building a prediction-market app internally known as Arena, though it has not yet launched. Taken together, these products suggest a company that is increasingly comfortable spinning up focused apps around specific use cases instead of relying solely on its flagship platforms.

That approach aligns with comments CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly made to employees earlier this year, when he pointed to AI-driven efficiencies as a way for Meta to build more apps than it historically has. The message is clear: Meta is not just adding AI features. It is reorganizing product strategy around them.

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