Qatar threatens to halt LNG supplies to EU over environmental policies

Qatari Energy Minister Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi announced that his country could halt liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to the European Union if the bloc fails to ease its environmental policy standards.

He made the remarks on a panel at the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi, noting that Europe’s demand to achieve net-zero emissions is unrealistic, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In the first quarter of 2025, Qatar became the EU’s third-largest LNG supplier after the United States and Russia.

Al-Kaabi had earlier warned in December 2024 that Doha would stop supplying LNG to the EU if European countries imposed fines on major corporations.

In recent years, Qatar has become a critical supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU, providing roughly 10–14 % of the bloc’s LNG imports. 

The threat comes at a time when the EU is trying to diversify away from Russian gas and strengthen its energy security, yet it is also pushing more stringent environmental and human-rights obligations on suppliers.

By Jeyhun Aghazada