
London – Qatar has announced that it will cease gas supplies to the European Union if member states implement stringent new regulations aimed at combating forced labor and environmental damage, according to Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi in an interview with the Financial Times.
The new directive, which was approved this year, mandates that larger companies operating within the EU must verify their supply chains for the use of forced labor and environmental violations, taking corrective actions if necessary.
Violations could incur fines of up to 5 percent of a company’s global turnover.
Kaabi emphasized the significant financial impact this could have, stating, “If I were to lose 5 percent of revenue by entering the European market, I simply wouldn’t do it. I’m not joking,” noting that such a loss for QatarEnergy translates to a substantial loss for the Qatari state.
“This is public money, so I cannot afford to lose that much – and no one would accept that level of loss,” he added.
As one of the globe’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), Qatar aims to strengthen its presence in both the Asian and European markets amid rising competition from the United States, the largest gas supplier.
The country plans to increase its liquefaction capacity from 77 million tons to 142 million tons annually by 2027 (with a target date of December 22, 2024).













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