Fishing sector: ratification by the Member States of the ILO Convention 188 on the work in fishing sector

PURPOSE: to authorise Member States to ratify, in the interests of the European Union, the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, of the International Labour Organisation (Convention No. 188 of the ILO).

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

CONTENT: this proposal aims to authorise Member States to ratify, for the parts falling under the exclusive competence of the Union, the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, of the International Labour Organisation, adopted on 14 June 2007.The Convention represents a major input to the fishing sector at international level in promoting decent work for fishers and fairer competition conditions for fishing vessel owners.

It is therefore desirable that its provisions should be implemented as soon as possible.

With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the procedures to be followed by the Union in order to conclude the Agreement are governed by Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) which states that the Council shall adopt a decision concluding the agreement, after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.

Bearing in mind that the Union cannot ratify the Convention, as only states can be parties thereto, the Council should therefore authorise the Member States that are bound by the rules of the Union on the coordination of social security schemes based on Article 48 of the TFEU to ratify the Convention in the interests of the Union, under the conditions laid down in this Decision.

It should be noted that ideally Member States should make efforts to take the necessary steps to deposit their instruments of ratification of the Convention with the Director-General of the International Labour Office as soon as possible, preferably before 31 December 2012. The Council will review the progress of the ratification before January 2012.