European proposals to set limits on the price of natural gas are hypocritical, Qatar Energy Minister Saad Al Kaabi told Bloomberg TV.

The European Commission intends to propose a gas price cap using a dynamic pricing mechanism that could be implemented as early as this winter.

But interfering with markets runs counter to competition rules that Europe has previously applied to producers, said Kaabi, who is also chief executive of Qatar Energy, the world's largest liquefied natural gas company.

Restricting natural gas prices also reduces incentives to invest in natural gas production and could deprive some buyers of supply. Competing importers could attract shipments that would otherwise go to Europe by offering just one cent more, he said.

In March, the European Commission concluded a nearly four-year antitrust investigation into Qatar's LNG deals with European companies. The investigation was prompted by concerns that the producer's supply agreements limited the ability of EU gas importers to sell LNG in alternative destinations in the bloc's domestic market.

According to the Qatari minister, difficulties in Europe will persist at least until 2025 if winters are harsh and flows through Russian pipelines do not return to normal. He noted that Qatar Energy is still in talks with Germany's RWE AG and Uniper SE for LNG supplies and is also in talks with some Asian buyers.

Attempts by European leaders this year to get more volumes from Qatar have failed because Qatar has been producing supercooled fuel beyond its installed capacity for years.

Qatar has pledged to refrain from diverting cargoes from Europe, even though it is contractually allowed to divert supplies. Qatar is sticking to that, but nothing is permanent, and we have the right to do whatever we want with our volumes, Kaabi said.