Kikilias: concern over EU stance ahead of IMO

The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, expressed concern about the European Union’s stance ahead of the talks of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on shipping decarbonisation, according to a report by Ναυτεμπορική on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The IMO talks on medium-term emission reduction measures are taking place in London from September 1 to 4, 2026, with Ναυτεμπορική reporting that what is at stake is how the IMO framework will coexist with the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which already places an economic burden on shipping activity within the European Union.

According to the same report, the issue concerning the Greek side is the potential excessive economic burden that the shipping sector will have to bear within 2026, should the two systems -the global IMO framework and the European ETS- fail to be adequately coordinated with each other. Ναυτεμπορική points out that Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world by tonnage, a fact that makes the outcome of the London talks a matter with a direct impact on the Greek economy and on the competitiveness of Greek shipowning interests internationally. A potential double cost, meaning simultaneous burden from both the global and the European system, could disproportionately affect fleets registered or managed by Greek interests, according to the logic described in the report.

This too is a report based exclusively on a Ναυτεμπορική source, with no other outlet having independently confirmed the position attributed to Minister Kikilias. The report does not quote a verbatim statement from the minister, nor does it refer to specific countries or fleets said to disagree with the Greek position, details that should not be taken as given beyond what the source explicitly states. In practice, the concern attributed to the minister reflects the general Greek position in favour of a global IMO framework that does not disproportionately burden the sector, at a time when other economic developments are also underway around energy in Greece, which make up the broader economic picture of September.

The IMO talks in London continue until September 4, 2026, a period during which it should become clear whether there will be convergence of views among the organization’s member states on the medium-term decarbonisation measures. The Ναυτεμπορική report does not specify when an official result or decision is expected from the IMO, nor whether the Greek government plans further interventions at the European level before the London talks conclude. Until the talks are completed, any estimate of the final cost the sector will have to bear remains, according to the available information, premature.