EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS IMO MEMBERSHIP
The European Commission has asked the Council of European Community to authorize negotiations for the EC’s accession to the International Maritime Organization.
Presently, the EC has observer status at the IMO, a United Nations specialized agency. The convention that set up the IMO will have to be amended in order for the EC to gain full admission. One result would be to give Europe an extra vote, since the nations that make up the EC are already full members of the IMO.
The EC also wants to become a full member of the International Civil Aviation Organization, instead of continuing as a non-participant observer.