Qatar vows to stop EU gas sales if fined under due diligence law, FT reports

Qatar vows to stop EU gas sales if fined under due diligence law, FT reports


Qatar’s Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida Al Kaabi speaks at a press conference in Doha on Sept. 1, 2024.

Karim Jaafar | Afp | Getty Images

Qatar will stop shipping gas to the EU if member states strictly enforce a new law cracking down on forced labour and environmental damage, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday.

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, approved this year, requires larger companies operating in the European Union to check whether their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage and to take action if they do. Penalties include fines of up to 5% of global turnover.

“If the case is that I lose 5% of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe. I’m not bluffing, Kaabi told the newspaper, adding that “5% of generated revenue of QatarEnergy means 5% of generated revenue of the Qatar state. This is the people’s money,  so I cannot lose that kind of money – and nobody would accept losing that kind of money.”

Kaabi, the chief executive of state-owned QatarEnergy, has said the EU should thoroughly review the due diligence law. He has also said that his Gulf country has no concerns about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to lift a cap on liquefied natural gas exports.

Qatar, among the world’s top LNG exporters, is seeking to play a larger role in Asia and Europe as competition from top supplier the United Sates increases. It plans to expand its liquefaction capacity to 142 million tons per year by 2027 from 77 million.



Source

Mining firms power UK stocks to record high after 50% U.S. copper tariff confirmed
World

Mining firms power UK stocks to record high after 50% U.S. copper tariff confirmed

The smelting area, where the copper is smelted and then placed in molds and cooled, at the Codelco El Teniente processing facility in Machali, Chile, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images London-listed mining firms bounced on Thursday, shaking off recent losses to drive the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index to a […]

Read More
Why investors think Starbucks’ China business may be overvalued
World

Why investors think Starbucks’ China business may be overvalued

Starbucks’ investors were excited for a brief moment after CNBC reported that the coffee giant received offers valuing its China operations at up to $10 billion, sending its Nasdaq-listed shares over 3% higher briefly before paring back gains. Starbucks China has attracted offers for a potential stake sale, valuing the coffee chain at between $5 […]

Read More
Startups love the UK. Its IPO market? Not so much
World

Startups love the UK. Its IPO market? Not so much

London’s Old Street roundabout, home to many tech firms and sometimes dubbed “Silicon Roundabout.” Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.K. capital markets are at a crossroads. The country’s startups raised $8 billion in the first six months of the year, according to a report from Dealroom and HSBC Innovation Banking — more than […]

Read More