Qatar has become a critical supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe as countries are reducing their reliance on Russian energy following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy giant, has long-term LNG supply agreements with Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the EU legislation would be unworkable for companies like QatarEnergy. 

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has drawn criticism both from within and outside the EU. Countries have to transpose the new rules into national law by 2026 and one year later, in 2027, the rules will start to apply to companies, with a gradual phase-in between three and five years after entry into force.

The directive is part of the bloc’s broader strategy to align corporate practices with its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The European Commission provided no immediate comment when contacted by POLITICO.