Qatar, one of Europe’s largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has warned it may suspend all gas exports to the continent unless the European Union relaxes key climate regulations under its new Supply Chain Directive. The stark warning was delivered in a four-page letter from Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi to the Belgian government, according to a report by Welt.
At the center of the dispute is Article 22 of the directive, which imposes strict environmental accountability requirements on foreign energy suppliers. Qatar claims the measures conflict directly with its own national laws and could expose its state-run firm, QatarEnergy, to crippling penalties—potentially up to 5% of its global revenue.
Al-Kaabi stressed that such a regulatory clash puts Qatari companies in an impossible position. “I am convinced that [Qatari] companies should not be forced to choose between complying with the climate policies of their home jurisdictions and EU regulations,” he wrote. Unless Brussels softens its stance, Qatar is prepared to redirect its gas to other markets outside the EU.
The warning lands at a sensitive time for Europe, which is still scrambling to secure stable energy supplies in the wake of the Ukraine conflict and its break from Russian gas. A rupture in ties with Qatar could significantly undermine the bloc’s energy security and raise prices, particularly ahead of winter.
