ILO Governing Body, 347th session

13 March – 23 March 2023

Final provisions of International Labour Conventions

GB.347/LILS/1

EU statement

 

Chair,

I am speaking on behalf of the EU and its Member States

The Candidate Countries* Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this statement.

1. We thank the Office of the Legal advisor for this quality document, which provides an understanding of the subject matter and its history.
2. The issue before us today is of great importance as labour standards are at the core of the ILO’s work. The EU and its Member States are strongly committed to supporting and protecting the ILO's body of standards and its constitutional mandate.
3. The final provisions of the Conventions are a vital part of the ILO standards, as they provide the legal basis for the entry into force and denunciation of Conventions, adopted by the International Labour Conference, the highest body of the Organisation.
4. The Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group ensures that the ILO has a strong, clearly defined and up-to-date body of international labour standards that responds to changes in the world of work, ensures the protection of workers and takes into account the needs of sustainable enterprises.
5. The question before us today on whether to change the final provisions of ILO Conventions is not a new one. It has been on the agenda of various Governing Bodies and also at the last session of the Standard Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group, which have thus far deemed that the current wording works well. The EU and its Member States consider that this is still the case.
6. Ratification rates can be low for a number of reasons, including the need to make legislative changes which is why governments proceed with ratifications based on priorities and political realities. It does not mean that Member States find a certain Convention irrelevant, simply that they might need more time to ratify it.
7. The EU and its Member States value the present practice under which Conventions enter into force and lead to the intended result within a reasonable period of time.
8. Easing the denunciation provisions would inevitably weaken the legal certainty, the normative corpus and the supervisory system of the ILO.
9. The EU and its Member States would support adding Spanish among the authoritative languages, as it is one of the languages in which negotiations already happen.
10. Based on the above, the EU and its Member States consider that the current final provisions, with the addition of Spanish as an authoritative language, should be reconfirmed at the International Labour Conference. 
11. With this, we support the original decision point.

Thank you, Chair.

 

[*Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.]