Here are the EU dossiers that appeal to Qatar
The Qatargate scandal prompted the European Parliament to suspend work on two important agreements with Qatar: one on air transport and one on visas. Meanwhile, the small emirate has become a key energy supplier for the Union
Qatar's alleged corruption scandal in the European Parliament, which also led to the arrest of Vice-President Eva Kaili, led Strasbourg MEPs to suspend work on ratifying the air transport deal reached in October by a year does.
HOW THE FLIGHT DEAL WORKS
A very advantageous agreement for the small emirate, because it guarantees the national airline Qatar Airways unlimited access to the vast air market of the Union: European companies will be able to fly direct to Qatar from any airport in each member state; the same will be able to do, with reversed parts, Qatar Airways.
CRITICISM AND PRAISE
At the time of the negotiations, the EU-Qatar agreement – which entered into force on a provisional basis, pending ratification – had been much criticized by European airlines, who feared unfair competition from Qatar Airways. The European Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Vălean, had instead celebrated it as a "global point of reference" that could have led to new agreements between the European Union and other Gulf countries.
THE WORDS OF THE TRANSPORT COMMISSION
Today, however, Karima Delli, the chair of the European Parliament's Transport Committee who negotiated the deal with Qatar Airways, said in an email (obtained by POLITICO ) that "granting consent to this deal could be difficult […] until it is established that the conditions have been transparent and impartial”.
THE ENERGY ISSUE
Last March, the European antitrust authority decided to close the investigation into the energy company QatarEnergy opened in 2018 and relating to the contractual clauses for the resale, between the member states of the Union, of loads of liquefied gas destined for Europe.
As a result of the energy detachment from Russia, Qatar has become a very important gas supplier for the European Union: only recently has QatarEnergy signed two agreements for the sale of two million tons of liquefied gas a year, for fifteen years, to Germany.
European oil companies such as Italy's Eni and France's TotalEnergies are involved in expansion work on the North Field mega-project , which is expected to boost Qatar's liquefaction capacity to 126 million tonnes a year by 2027, up from 77 current millions.
THE VISA AGREEMENT
In addition to the agreement on flights, the Qatargate scandal has also led to the suspension of the visa agreement between the European Union, Qatar and Kuwait: it provides for the possibility for Qatari and Kuwaiti citizens to travel on European territory for ninety days without the need for a visa provided they have a biometric passport.
On Monday, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, explained that the dossier will return to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, which had given its support to the agreement despite reservations about the treatment of human rights in Qatar and in Kuwait.
At the time of the negotiations, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said the visa deal was possible thanks to the "success of the Qatari and Kuwaiti governments in carrying out far-reaching reforms". The agreement, he added, reflects "the growing intensity and depth of EU relations with both countries".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/ue-qatar-accordi-voli-visti-energia/ on Thu, 15 Dec 2022 11:20:22 +0000.