Energy consumption within the European Union has decreased considerably, with its level in 2012 being equal to that of 1990.

"These statistics are a sign of the troubled economies of the 28-nation bloc", European officials were quoted as saying by DPA.

Just over the past 6 years, consumption of energy has dwindled by 8% according to the European statistical body Eurostat.

Greece, Portugal and Lithuania are among the countries where it has registered a major decrease - between 14 and 17%. They were also among the most affected by the 2008 euro crisis.

France, Germany and the UK, the top energy consumers in the EU, have observed a decrease somewhere between 5.9 and 12%.

The statistics also reveal this drop is caused by the cuts made by industry production and construction sectors.

According to Eurostat data, coal and oil have become a less preferred energy source in the past years compared to gas, nuclear energy and renewables.

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