FuelsEurope expresses deep concern following the outcome of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held in London from 14 to 17 October 2025, where Member States voted to postpone by one year the adoption of the IMO Net Zero Framework. The decision represents a major setback for global efforts to provide a predictable regulatory pathway and demand certainty for the decarbonisation of maritime transport.
The IMO Net Zero Framework, approved in 2025, was designed as a cornerstone of global maritime climate policy. There was broad support and expectations were high that MEPC would secure the formal adoption of the Framework, setting a clear trajectory for the sector toward 2050 climate neutrality objective. Instead, the decision to postpone by one year creates renewed uncertainty for the industry. This delay, although procedural, sends the wrong signal at a critical time. (....)