Council Decision (EU) 2026/1067 of 27 April 2026 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 84th session
Date: 2026-04-27
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: International Maritime Organisation, greenhouse gas, international convention, maritime safety, pollution from ships, protocol to an agreement, reduction of gas emissions, revision of an agreement, safety standard, technical standard




L_202601067EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/1067


12.5.2026







            COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2026/1067
         
of 27 April 2026
         
on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 84th session


THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 100(2) and 192(1), in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,


Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:







(1)


Action by the Union in the sector of maritime transport should aim to improve maritime safety, and to protect the marine environment and human health.












(2)


The 84th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will take place from 27 April to 1 May 2026.












(3)


MEPC, during its second extraordinary session (MEPC/ES.2), that was initially planned to take place from 14 to 17 October 2025, was expected to adopt the IMO Net-Zero Framework in the form of amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). However, MEPC/ES.2 was adjourned and the adoption of those amendments was postponed.












(4)


In preparation of MEPC/ES.2, the Council adopted Decision (EU) 2025/2093 (1).












(5)


Decision (EU) 2025/2093 states that the Union should support the introduction of the new chapter 5 of Annex VI to MARPOL concerning the IMO Net-Zero Framework, as set out in the Annex to the IMO document MEPC/ES.2/2. In anticipation of further discussions amongst members of the IMO during which the draft amendments may be further developed before their formal adoption, this Decision aims to establish the general position of the Union at MEPC 84 related to the consideration and adoption of amendments to Annex VI to MARPOL as regards the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. This Decision complements Decision (EU) 2025/2093 by providing guidance for the Union’s position at MEPC 84, in view of ongoing discussions during which the draft amendments may be further developed before their formal adoption.












(6)


Specifically, there are several submissions to be discussed ranging from a call to adopt the IMO Net-Zero Framework as it is or otherwise reinforce it (Fiji et al. (2)), to start negotiations anew by first discussing guiding principles (Algeria et al. (3)) or proposing alternative measures that link the pathway to fuel availability on the market instead of to the 2050 net-zero ambition (Argentina, Liberia and Panama (4)). Other proposals show varying degrees of openness to modifying the existing IMO Net-Zero Framework amendments in order to build consensus (Brazil (5) and Japan (6)).












(7)


It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf at MEPC 84 as the draft amendments to Annex VI to MARPOL will, if adopted in a future MEPC session, produce legal effects for Member States parties to the MARPOL and are capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely Regulations (EU) 2015/757 (7) and (EU) 2023/1805 (8) of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9).












(8)


The Union’s position is in line with its positions at previous sessions of the MEPC and of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships as regards the reduction of GHG emissions from ships. The Union supported and submitted various documents proposing the development of a Greenhouse Gas Fuel Standard (GFS) and a GHG-pricing levy and the resulting IMO Net-Zero Framework. The Union has played a major role in the negotiations during the various sessions of the MEPC and of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships for the development and finalisation of various candidate mid-term GHG reduction measures comprising both a goal-based marine fuel standard regulating the phased reduction of the marine fuel’s GHG intensity and an economic element, on the basis of a maritime GHG emissions pricing mechanism.












(9)


Therefore, the Union’s position should be to support the further consideration and adoption of measures that facilitate consensus building and that are in line with the objectives set out in the 2023 IMO Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, taking into account the critical role of international shipping in the development of global trade and maritime transport services, supported by accessible available fuels to prevent disruptions.












(10)


After the discussions at MEPC 84, the Union should assess whether its position should remain as is set out in Decision (EU) 2025/2093, which remains applicable until the end of the MEPC/ES.2 unless it is amended or repealed.












(11)


The Union is neither a member of the IMO nor a contracting party to MARPOL. The Council should therefore authorise the Member States to express the position of the Union at MEPC 84.












(12)


The scope of this Decision should be limited to the content of the discussions at MEPC 84 on the IMO Net Zero Framework, to the extent that they are capable of affecting Union common rules and fall under the exclusive competence of the Union. This Decision should not affect the division of competences between the Union and the Member States,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 84th session is set out in the Annex to this Decision.


Article 2

1.   The position referred to in Article 1 shall be expressed by the Member States, which are all members of the IMO, acting jointly in the interest of the Union.


2.   The position referred to in Article 1 of this Decision complements the position referred to in in Article 1, point (c), of Decision (EU) 2025/2093, which remains applicable until the end of the MEPC/ES.2 unless it is amended or repealed.



Article 3
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.




Done at Luxembourg, 27 April 2026.


For the Council


The President

M. PANAYIOTOU
            





(1)  Council Decision (EU) 2025/2093 of 10 October 2025 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee at its second extraordinary session as regards the adoption of amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) (OJ L, 2025/2093, 16.10.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/2093/oj).

(2)  IMO documents MEPC 84/7/28 and MEPC 84/7/36 (Fiji et al.).

(3)  IMO document MEPC 84/7/30 (Algeria et al.).

(4)  IMO document MEPC 84/7/38 (Argentina et al.).

(5)  IMO document MEPC 84/7/37 (Brazil).

(6)  IMO document MEPC 84/7/49 (Japan).

(7)  Regulation (EU) 2015/757 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015 on the monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC (OJ L 123, 19.5.2015, p. 55, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/757/oj).

(8)  Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC (OJ L 234, 22.9.2023, p. 48, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1805/oj).

(9)  Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Union and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/87/oj).




ANNEX
The position to be taken on behalf of the Union during MEPC 84:

Guiding Principles









(1)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall act in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy and the Union’s objectives to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.












(2)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall support actions consistent with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the targets of the European Climate Law and towards a competitive European maritime sector that supports the Union’s economy and growth, in line with the EU Industrial Maritime Strategy and the Competitiveness Compass of the EU.












(3)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall pursue the work within the IMO and build bridges with international partners to work towards global solutions, supporting the commitment of the EU shipping sector to decarbonise and the investments already made towards achieving this goal.












(4)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall work within the IMO towards measures that contribute to a global level playing field in the maritime sector, to the competitiveness of the European maritime sector, and to a just and equitable transition.





Orientations









(1)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall oppose any attempts to remove the IMO Net-Zero Framework, as approved in April 2025 by a majority of IMO Member States, from further considerations at MEPC.












(2)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall engage in discussions on amendments to the Net-Zero Framework that may be necessary to achieve the widest level of support possible on the final package of candidate mid-term GHG reduction measures to be adopted in implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.












(3)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall engage constructively in discussions, as long as the following conditions are met:






(a)


any amendments gather sufficiently broad support; and










(b)


the final package delivers on all the emission reduction goals and objectives of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
















(4)


The Member States, on behalf of the Union, shall support that any decision on the adoption of the final package of measures must be accompanied by the decision to follow the tacit acceptance procedure.







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/1067/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)