Five diplomats present at the talks told POLITICO that Athens objected to a single passage, the final paragraph of the text, that “welcome[d]” the IMO measures “as the first legally binding global sectoral climate regulation that will contribute to the reduction of emissions from shipping.”
Three of the diplomats, who were granted anonymity to discuss closed-door talks, said Greece had opposed any mention of the IMO levy and rejected several attempts at compromise.
With the text requiring unanimous approval from the EU’s 27 governments, ministers adjourned the debate for several hours while diplomats scrambled to find a solution. But Greece even rejected a last-ditch proposal, seen by POLITICO, to merely “recall” that the IMO negotiations took place.
In the end, ministers could only agree on deleting the IMO reference entirely.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against countries backing a tax on climate pollution from shipping. The IMO meeting was adjourned for a year on Friday.
EU governments in September approved a joint endorsement of the IMO measure, but Greece and Cyprus broke ranks and were among the countries abstaining last week. Cyprus did not object to Tuesday’s text on COP30.