BRUSSELS - Europe will probably not face an energy shortage this winter, but next year might prove a lot harder, International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol said on Monday.

"The crisis is not over. Next year, 2023, may well be much more difficult than this year," Birol told reporters in Brussels, citing the phase-out of Russian gas imports, potential shortages of liquefied natural gas and the "unusually mild" temperatures of 2022.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer)