Qatar, one of the main suppliers of natural gas to Europe, recently threatened to halt gas shipments to the E.U. if the latter enforces new legislation, set to come into effect in July 2027, which imposes a fine of up to 5 percent of annual revenues on commercial companies that do not meet specified criteria regarding human rights, labor rights and carbon emissions.[1]
In an interview with the Financial Times, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar's Minister of Energy and CEO of QatarEnergy, the emirate's petroleum company, clarified that Qatar will not export gas to Europe if the sale is not profitable. He stated, "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."[2]
Against the backdrop of this threat, Jaber Al-Harmi, editor of the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, published an article on December 25, 2024 directing harsh criticism at the E.U.'s new legislation. Titled "Europe Is the Last One [Entitled] to Talk about Labor Rights and the Environment," the article accuses the E.U. and the U.S. of hypocrisy, claiming that the gravest cases of labor and human rights violations and of harm to the environment occur on their soil. Al-Harmi argues that the West is unfairly targeting Qatar with unjustified and tendentious criticism, although the emirate has taken steps in the domain of labor rights and is assisting in the global effort to address climate change.
Al-Harmi goes on to say that the new legislation is aimed at "stealing the assets and resources of the countries and peoples of the 'other' world under various pretexts," and that it is time to put a stop to this. He also proposes to shift Qatari investments to Asia, Africa and South America, and asks, "Why do we shackle our economies to the West and direct all our investments [there], and put [everything] in old Europe, which has acted, is acting and will continue to act to steal the resources of the peoples?!"
In this context, it should be noted that ahead of the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar, the emirate faced harsh criticism from the West due to reports that thousands of migrant workers employed there had died during the accelerated construction of stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament. Then, too, the Qatari press attacked the West, claiming that many of the accusations against Qatar were false and driven by racism and a desire to harm it, and that the European countries were in no position to lecture Qatar on human rights.[3]
A gas facility in Qatar (Image: Alarabiya.net, June 14, 2021)
The following are translated excerpts from his article: [4]
"The last one [entitled] to talk about workers' rights, about the environment and about anything to do with human rights is the E.U., and the same goes for the U.S…
"The E.U. is discussing new legislation it intends to enforce on large companies, involving labor conditions and an environmental tax. But in most cases these laws mainly harm other, non-Western companies. Engineer Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, [Qatar's] Energy Minister and the CEO of QatarEnergy, was very clear and candid in his conversation with the Financial Times. Asked about QatarEnergy's position on the E.U.'s possible enforcement of the legislation imposing a 5 percent tax on international companies, he said that if any E.U. state enforced this law, [Qatar] would stop the shipment of gas to the E.U. 'If the case is that I lose five percent of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe.'
"Today, the unfortunate acts that involve human rights violations are committed by the West and the E.U., which close their ears and eyes to the reports that discuss the scope of these violations in the large Western societies, [societies] that arbitrarily exploit workers at their workplaces and do not actually grant them their rights just because these workers are non-European – or, more precisely, 'are not blue-eyed.' These workers are employed in unsuitable work environments, without safety and security regulations and without hygienically-proper accommodation. There have been cases of workers killed on worksites due to the absence of safety and security procedures. [The workers] are also exploited in that they work more than the agreed-upon number of hours, with no compensation or overtime.
"And then [the Europeans] come to our countries in the Arab world or in Africa, and sometimes [also] in South America, to lecture [us] about Western values and about human rights and liberties, and also on the rights of women and children according to Western standards and criteria. And this [happens] while the Zionist entity, an ally of the West, violates all these rights in the most heinous manner when it comes to the Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, yet [the Europeans] ignore this.
"In the E.U. countries there is criminal exploitation of non-European workers, especially those who come from countries in Asia or Africa. Many of them lose their lives at worksites, but we don't see the same bombastic reports about Western companies. And even if some human rights organizations do discuss these violations, they are presented as isolated cases and ascribed to [specific] companies, and not to the values of those Western countries. Conversely, when an accident or death of a worker occurs in an Arab or an African country, hundreds of reports are written about the incident. [In such cases] the incident is not described as an error or an isolated case…; rather, the criticism is aimed at the entire country, which is held responsible for this incident.
"As for the legislation that the E.U. intends to enforce, which is aimed at seizing five percent of [the revenue] of international companies, part of this is related to the environment, and therefore one must ask: Who is [actually] ruining the environment, killing people and destroying everything if not the E.U., the U.S., and the Israeli entity?! Who is [actually] ruining the environment by dumping all the forbidden waste and the waste from internationally forbidden weapons, with the Third World continents being [the preferred dumping] ground[?] Who if not the countries of the E.U. and the U.S.? Which [countries] steal the assets and the resources of Africa and take them for themselves, while preventing the peoples of those [African] lands from enjoying their own resources? Who if not the countries of the E.U.?...
"In Qatar there is a fund designated for assisting workers and ensuring their safety, which is aimed at safeguarding their rights, providing a healthy and safe work environment and strengthening the labor system in the country. Does the E.U. have anything comparable to this program or this high-quality initiative?... The International Labor Organization has opened an office in Doha, and that is proof of the extent of Qatar's commitment to [ensuring] that its laws and legislation protect workers' rights.
"As for Qatar's positions in support of global efforts to contend with the negative consequences of climate [change], at the 2019 UN Climate Summit, His Majesty Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani, the beloved Emir of Qatar, pledged $100 million to helping island states [contend with] natural hazards and environmental challenges and enhancing their ability to cope with the destructive consequences [of these hazards].
"These active roles played by Qatar in the global sphere are not discussed. [Moreover,] some Western elements, or so-called institutions in those [Western] societies, rush to level irrational criticism [at Qatar], whether out of ignorance or deliberately, [criticism] that does not reflect reality and is completely at odds with the tremendous scope of the efforts made by this country, both in the realm of the environment and in the realm of human rights…
"The time has come to say 'enough' to the West and to its laws that are aimed at stealing the assets and resources of the countries and peoples of the 'other' [non-Western] world under various pretexts… based on the demands, the needs and the private interests of the [Western] countries… at the expense of our countries and peoples.
"In the future, economic growth and investment opportunities will not be limited to Europe, but [will also be] in Asia, Africa and South America. Why do we shackle our economies to the West and direct all our investments [there], and put [everything] in old Europe, which has acted, is acting and will continue to act to steal the resources of the peoples?!"
[1] On the new legislation, called the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, see corporate-sustainability-due-diligence-directive.com.
[2] Ft.com, December 22, 2024.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10316 - In Advance Of World Cup, Qatari Press Cartoons Slam West For Its Criticism Of Qatar – November 15, 2022.
[4] Al-Sharq (Qatar), December 25, 2024.
