Greece Joins US, Saudi on Shipping Emissions
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- Greece abstained from supporting the EU’s position at the IMO climate vote in November and has now formed a joint stance with Saudi Arabia to curb shipping CO2 emissions, bypassing EU coordination.
- Saudi Arabia is collaborating with Greece on a shared position at the IMO, aligning with US-backed efforts despite the EU’s push for stronger decarbonization measures.
- US officials stated their intent to dismantle the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, a move that contradicts existing EU climate policies and carbon pricing mechanisms.
- Greece’s environment minister Stavros Papastavrou described the country as 'a voice of realism in Europe' on energy, justifying its alignment with petrostates on shipping emissions.
- Fanny Devaux of Transport & Environment warned that Greece’s shift benefits billionaire shipowners and oil companies, not European competitiveness or climate resilience.
- The EU could launch an infringement procedure against Greece for undermining its common position at the IMO, which is meant to be negotiated collectively under Commission leadership.
Why it matters: Greece’s move weakens the EU’s unified climate diplomacy at a critical moment, risking legal action from Brussels while advantaging its fossil-fueled shipping elite. The shift hands leverage to oil-aligned nations and could derail Europe’s industrial transition to green shipping fuels.
