Chair,

I speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia*[1], Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

We would like to thank the co-chairs of the Tripartite Working Group for the organization and the quality of the debates that took place to implement the objective of democratization laid down in the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.

We have supported the establishment of the Tripartite Working Group and have actively engaged in its work. The report of the working group well reflects the context and the stakes of the discussions.

The European Union is composed of states that have adopted different approaches to the 1986 Instrument of amendment to the ILO Constitution. Some are permanent and others will be full members of the GB only once every 30 years. Some have ratified the instrument, others have not. Nevertheless, all EU Member States are committed to a democratic participation in the ILO’s tripartite governance. We are convinced, however, that the question of democratization goes beyond this instrument.

We welcome that the work of the group has led to points of consensus concerning, for example, that the notion of "socialist" States of Eastern Europe, which constitutes one of the obstacles to ratification of the 1986 Amendment, is considered obsolete. 

The question of democratization in the composition and the governance of the Governing Body of the organization will require further reflection, proposals and discussions. We thus support points b) and c) of the draft decision. It is indeed necessary to continue our work.

As far as point a) is concerned, Member States will express their individual views.

In light of the above, let me conclude by recalling the commitment of the European Union and its Member States to the implementation of the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.

*The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.