(MENAFN) In an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday, December 22, 2024, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO of QatarEnergy, HE Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, warned that Qatar could stop vital gas supplies to the European Union if it enforces the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D).

Under the directive, EU member states are required to impose penalties—up to 5 percent of global turnover—on companies that fail to meet criteria related to carbon emissions, human rights, and labor standards.

The Minister was quoted as saying, "If the case is that I lose 5 per cent of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe... I'm not bluffing." He further emphasized, "Five per cent of generated revenue of QatarEnergy means 5 per cent 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."

Earlier, at the Doha Forum on December 7, 2024, Al Kaabi had expressed support for the concept behind the CS3D but stated that it would be unrealistic for companies like QatarEnergy to commit to such stringent requirements.

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