Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union at the International Maritime Organization during the 70th and 71st session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on the approval and adoption of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea as Nitrogen Oxyde Emissions Control Area (NECA)
Date: 2016-09-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: Baltic Sea, International Maritime Organisation, North Sea, combustion gases, international convention, marine environment, marine pollution, maritime transport, reduction of gas emissions, revision of an agreement

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 22.9.2016  
COM(2016) 617 final 

2016/0296 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union at the International 
Maritime Organization during the 70th and 71st session of the Marine Environment 
Protection Committee on the approval and adoption of amendments to MARPOL 
Annex VI concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea 
as Nitrogen Oxyde Emissions Control Area (NECA) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL  

The present Commission proposal concerns the establishment of the Union position at the 70th 
and  71st  session  of  the  International  Maritime  Organization's  (IMO)  Marine  Environment 
Protection Committee (MEPC) in relation to the approval and adoption of the amendments to 
Annex  VI  to  the  International  Convention  for  the  Prevention  of  Pollution  from  Ships 
(MARPOL) concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea as 
Nitrogen Oxyde Emissions Control Areas (NECA). 

In order to prevent, reduce and control nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships, MARPOL 
Annex VI provides the possibility to designate, at the request of the Parties having a common 
interest in a particular sea area, a NECA. A request for designation needs to be submitted to 
the IMO which has to consider, approve and adopt the necessary amendments to MARPOL 
Annex VI such that the proposed designation of a particular sea area as NECA can enter into 
force  and  take  effect.  All  EU  Member  States  except  for  Austria  and  Hungary  have  ratified 
MARPOL Annex VI.  

The  first  NECAs  that  were  designated  in  the  North  American  Seas  and  the  United  States 
Caribbean  Sea  areas,  took  effect  on  1  January  2016.  When  operating  in  those  sea  areas,  an 
engine which is installed on a ship constructed after that date will have to comply with the so-
called Tier III requirements laid down in MARPOL Annex VI. 

The most common available emission abatement technologies that would ensure compliance 
with the Tier III requirements are exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, selective catalytic 
reduction (SCR) systems, or engines (partly) fuelled by liquified natural gas (LNG).  

In anticipation of the substantial environmental and health benefits, and following the North 
American example, all the Baltic Sea and North Sea riparian States jointly decided to propose 
the designation of both seas as NECAs to the IMO in order to significantly reduce the total 
amount of NOx emissions from ships over time. 

NOx  emissions  from  ships  in  the  Baltic  Sea  and  North  Sea  contribute  significantly  to  air 
pollution, especially in big coastal cities, through particulate matter (PM) formation, ground 
ozone  formation  and  contribution  to  nitrogen  dioxides  (NO2)  concentrations,  all  having 
adverse  effects  on  human  health.  Nitrogen  input  to  the  marine  and  terrestrial  environment 
through atmospheric deposition also contributes to the eutrophication of the sea and land.  

Eutrophication is a major problem in the Baltic Sea. NOx emissions from ships contribute to 
the  total  nitrogen  input  to  the  marine  environment  through  atmospheric  deposition,  thus 
exacerbating the problem of Baltic Sea eutrophication. The application of Tier III regulations 
resulting from the designation of the Baltic as NECA could reduce eutrophication in several 
Baltic Sea areas by up to 20-30%.  

Without  any  control  measures,  NOx  emissions  from  North  Sea  shipping  will  contribute 
between 7% to 24% to the average annual ambient air concentrations of NOx in the North Sea 
riparian states in 2030. Contributions from shipping to nitrogen deposition in the North Sea 
states  range  from  2%  to  5%.  Designation  of  the  North  Sea  as  NECA  is  expected  to  reduce 
these contributions of North Sea shipping emissions by about one-third.  

2. 

DEVELOPMENTS TO DATE  

Following the preference expressed by the Baltic Sea and North Sea riparian States to have a 
parallel, synchronized NECA designation process in both the North Sea and in the Baltic Sea, 

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a 'Roadmap' setting out the steps leading towards such simultaeneous designation and taking 
effect of both seas as NECAs was developed. 
The Roadmap1 envisages the submission of both designation requests to the IMO in July 2016 
in view of approval of the MEPC at its 70th session (October 2016), followed by adoption at 
MEPC 71 (Spring 2017). The proposed date when both NECAs should take effect is set on 1 
January 2021 in order to give operators sufficient time to prepare and adapt. 

Following comprehensive preparatory work outlining the impacts and benefits of both NECA 
designations, the draft designation requests were discussed in technical workshops that took 
place in Russia and in Denmark in May 2016. The (final) draft designation requests were also 
circulated among the Council's Working Party on Shipping on 19 May 2016 and on 29 June 
2016. 
In line with the Roadmap, the 50th HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting that took place in 
Estonia on 15-16 June 2016 endorsed submitting the NECA designation request to the IMO 
on 1 July 2016 by the respective riparian States. Following the agreement of HELCOM, the 
North Sea States could proceed with submitting their designation request in parallel in order 
to follow the timeframe for simultaneous approval and adoption by IMO as set out in the joint 
Roadmap. 

3. 

AMENDMENTS TO MARPOL ANNEX VI  

In accordance with the criteria and procedure set out in Regulation 13.6 and appendix III to 
MARPOL  Annex  VI  for  proposing  the  designation  of  a  particular  sea  area  as  a  NECA,  the 
submission  by  the  Baltic  and  North  Seas  riparian  States  puts  forward  the  necessary 
amendments to Regulation 13 paragraphs 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 that would add the North Sea and 
Baltic Sea to the already designated North American and United States Caribbean Sea Area 
NECAs,  while  specifying  that  the  North  Sea  and  Baltic  Sea  NECAs  will  take  effect  on  1 
January 2021.   

Following the submission of the proposed amendments by the North Sea and Baltic Sea States 
to  the  IMO  on  1  July  2016,  consideration  and  approval  of  the  proposed  amendments  is 
expected at the 70th session of the MEPC (scheduled to take place between 24 to 28 October 
2016), following which the amendments are expected to be submitted for adoption to the 71st 
session of the MEPC (scheduled to take place in Spring 2017).  

Once  approved  and  adopted  by  the  Committee,  the  amendments  to  MARPOL  Annex  VI 
Regulation 13 as set out above will be communicated for acceptance to the MARPOL Annex 
VI Contracting Parties.  

4. 

RELEVANT EU LEGISLATION AND EU COMPETENCE  

The  designation  of  NECAs  in  EU  waters  would  significantly  contribute  to  achieving  the 
objectives  set  out  in  Union  policy  on  environment  aiming  at  preserving,  protecting  and 
improving the quality of the marine environment and protecting human health by improving 
air quality. The Commission's impact assessement accompanying the 2013 Clean Air Policy 
Package2  noted  that  although  any  decisions  on  specific  Union  measures  regulating  NOx 
emissions from shipping would need a separate, more specific analysis, there is clear potential 

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2 

See also: https://portal.helcom.fi/meetings/HOD 49-2015-247/MeetingDocuments/4-29 Roadmap for  
designating a NECA in the Baltic Sea in parallel with the North Sea.pdf 
See: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/clean_air_policy.htm 

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for  shipping  to  cost-effectively  deliver  NOx  emission  reductions  which  would  contribute  to 
improving the quality of the marine environment and the air.  
The  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive3  requires  Member  States  to  take  the  necessary 
measures  to  achieve  or  maintain  'good  environmental  status'  in  the  marine  environment  by 
2020.  Good  environmental  status  means  "the  environmental  status  of  marine  waters  where 
these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy, and 
productive within their intrinsic conditions, and the use of the marine environment is at a level 
that  is  sustainable,  thus  safeguarding,  the  potential  uses  and  activities  by  current  and  future 
generations"  (Article  3(5)  of  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive).  Determining  good 
environmental  status  requires,  inter  alia,  that  human-induced  eutrophication  is  minimised, 
especially  adverse  effects  thereof,  such  as  losses  in  biodiversity,  ecosystem  degradation, 
harmful algae blooms and oxygen deficiency in bottom waters (all of which especially in the 
Baltic Sea occur at wide scale). Reducing nitrogen inputs originating from maritime shipping 
through  the  application  of  the  Tier  III  requirements  following  from  the  designation  of  the 
North Sea and Baltic Sea as NECAs, will support the EU Member States bordering those seas 
with achieving 'good environmental status' under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. 
The  Ambient  Air  Quality  Directive4  sets,  inter  alia,  limit  values  for  NO2  with  the  aim  of 
avoiding,  preventing  or  reducing  harmful  effects  on  human  health  and/or  the  environment 
caused  by  air  pollution.  The  limit  value  for  the  annual  mean  NO2  concentration  is  set  at  40 
microgram/m3..  Especially  in  the  North  Sea  riparian  States  this  maximum  concentration  is 
exceeded  in  different  regions  and  zones.  Shipping  emissions  can  contribute  significantly  to 
local air quality problems in Europe, especially when considering that in the North Sea 89% 
of ship emisisons are within 50 nautical mile from shore5.  

The Ambient Air Quality Directive recognizes that in order to achieve the objectives set out in 
that  Directive,  it  is  particularly  important  to  combat  emissions  of  pollutants  at  source  in 
particular  by  measures  which  would  limit  the  exhaust  emissions  of  the  engines  of  various 
mobile and stationary sources through engine or fuel quality standards.  

The  Union  has  put  in  place  various  pieces  of  legislation  regulating  emissions  by  means  of 
engine  standards  for  various  road  transport  modes  (cars,  trucks  and  vans  through  the  Euro 
standards6)  and  non-road  mobile  machinery  sources  (inland  waterway  vessels  and 
locomotives  through  the  Non-Road  Mobile  Machinery  Directive7).  Sulphur  emissions  from 
maritime transport in European waters have been regulated through the directive setting out 
sulphur-content-in-fuel requirements for ships8. This directive also transposes the designation 

3  Directive  2008/56/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  17  June  2008  establishing  a 
framework  for  community  action  in  the  field  of  marine  environmental  policy  (Marine  Strategy  Framework 
Directive), OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p. 19 

4  Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality 

and cleaner air for Europe, OJ L 152, 11.6.2008, p. 1 

5  European Environment Agency (EEA), Technical Report No 4/2013, The impact of international shipping on  
   European air quality and climate forcing – 14.3.2013, p. 38 
6  E.g. Regulation (EC) N0 715//2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2007 on type 
approval  of  motor  vehicles  with  respect  to  emissions  from  light  passenger  and  commercial  vehicles  (Euro  5 
and  Euro  6)  and  on  access  to  vehicle  repair  and  maintenance  information,  OJ  L  171,  29.6.2007,  p.  1  or 
Regulation  (EC)  No  595/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18  June  2009  on  type-
approval of motor vehicles and engines with respect to emissions from heavy duty vehicles (Euro VI) and on 
access to vehicle repair and maintenance information  

7  Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1997 on the approximation 
of  the  laws  of  the  Member  States  relating  to  measures  against  the  emission  of  gaseous  and  particulate 
pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery, OJ L 59, 27.2.1998, 
p. 1 

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of  both  North  Sea  and  the  Baltic  Sea  as  Sulphur  Emission  Control  Areas  (SECAs)  under 
MARPOL Annex VI into Union law. The entry into force of low sulphur in fuel requirements 
on  1  January  2015  in  the  two  SECAs  has  resulted  in  reduced  concentration  of  sulphur  in 
coastal regions.   

Although NOx emissions from international maritime shipping have not been regulated at the 
source by Union legislation, it is recognised that sea transport is a significant contributor to 
the total of those emissions, and also to the concentration and deposition in the Union, and, 
these  emissions  should  be  reduced9.  Given  that  the  designation  of  the  Baltic  Sea  and  North 
Sea as NECAs will prompt reductions of emissions from international maritime transport, as 
aimed  for  in  Union  legislation,  the  proposed  designation  requests  to  IMO  should  be 
supported. 

In view of the links between the proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex VI designating 
the  North  Sea  and  Baltic  Sea  as  NECAs  and  the  objectives  and  requirements  set  out  in  the 
various instruments of Union legislation whose aim is to contribute to preserving, protecting 
and improving the quality of the marine environment as well as protecting human health by 
improved air quality, the approval and adoption of the amendments to MARPOL Annex VI 
may frame the future development of EU legislation in this area. 

5. 

CONCLUSION  

The provisions of Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union also 
apply to the adoption of the amendments to MARPOL Annex VI by the IMO, and therefore a 
Council  Decision  on  the  position  to  be  adopted  on  behalf  of  the  European  Union  for  the 
amendments to MARPOL Annex VI designating the North Sea and Baltic Sea as NECAs to 
be  approved  and  adopted  at  the  70th  and  71st  session  of  MEPC  respectively  is  required.

8 

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Directive (EU) No 2016/802 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 relating to  
a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels, OJ L132, 21.5.2016, p.58 
Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2001 on national  
emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants, OJ L 309, 27.11.2011, p. 22 

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2016/0296 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union at the International 
Maritime Organization during the 70th and 71st session of the Marine Environment 
Protection Committee on the approval and adoption of amendments to MARPOL 
Annex VI concerning the designation and taking effect of the Baltic Sea and North Sea 
as Nitrogen Oxyde Emissions Control Area (NECA) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Article 192(1) in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

In  order  to  prevent,  reduce  and  control  nitrogen  oxide  (NOx)  emissions  from  ships, 
Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 
(MARPOL) provides the possibility to designate, at the request of the Parties having a 
common interest in a particular sea area, a NOx Emission Control Area (NECA). 

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has to consider, approve and adopt the 
necessary amendments to MARPOL Annex VI such that the proposed designation of a 
particular sea area as NECA can enter into force and take effect. 

The Parties to MARPOL Annex VI bordering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea jointly 
decided  to  prepare  two  proposals  for  designation  of  the  respective  seas  as  NECAs 
taking effect from 1 January 2021. 

Preparatory  work  on  the  submission  requesting  the  designation  of  the  Baltic  Sea  as 
NECA has been undertaken by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission 
(or  Helsinki  Commission,  short  HELCOM)  in  the  framework  of  the  Helsinki 
Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area. The 
meeting of the HELCOM Heads of Delegations on 16 June 2016 agreed to submit the 
proposal  for  designation  of  the  Baltic  Sea  as  NECA  for  consideration  by  the  IMO 
Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at its 70th session. 

Preparatory  work  on  the  submission  requesting  the  designation  of  the  North  Sea  as 
NECA has been undertaken between the North Sea riparian States at Ministerial level. 

The Council's Working Party on Shipping has been informed on 19 May 2016 and on 
29 June 2016 of the (final) draft proposals requesting the designation of the North Sea 
and  Baltic  Sea  as  NECAs  to  be  submitted  to  the  IMO  for  consideration  at  the  70th 
session of the MEPC.  

Approval  of  the  amendments  to  Annex  VI  to  MARPOL  designating  the  North  and 
Baltic  Seas  as  NECAs  is  expected  at  the  70th  session  of  the  Marine  Environment 
Protection  Committtee  (MEPC),  while  adoption  is  expected  at  the  71st  session  to  be 
held in May 2017. 

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(8) 

(9) 

The approval and adoption of the proposed amendments to Annex VI to MARPOL by 
the IMO's MEPC designating the North and Baltic Seas as NECAs would have a legal 
effect within the meaning of Article 218(9) TFEU. 
The  seventh  Environment  Action  Programme10  confirms  the  Union's  long-term 
objective  for  air  policy,  to  achieve  levels  of  air  quality  that  do  not  give  rise  to 
significant  negative  impacts  on  and  risks  to  human  health  and  the  environment,  and 
calls,  to  that  end,  for  full  compliance  with  the  current  air  quality  legislation  of  the 
Union,  post-2020  strategic  targets  and  actions,  enhanced  efforts  in  areas  where  the 
population  and  ecosystems  are  exposed  to  high  levels  of  air  pollutants  and  reducing 
the levels and deposition of acidifying and euthrophifying air pollutants as well as the 
level of ozone air pollution below critical loads and levels. 

(10) 

In 2013 a total of 19 of the 28 Member States recorded exceedances of the annual limit 
value  for  nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2)  as  set  in  Directive  2008/50/EC  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council11  at  one  or  more  monitoring  stations.  Of  the  EU-28 
urban population, 9% lives in areas in which the annual EU limit value and the WHO's 
air quality guidelines for NO2 were exceeded in 201312. 

(11)  Ship  emissions  are  known  to  have  impacts  on  human  health,  ecosystems  and  air 
quality  in  the  Union,  as  a  result  of  the  emissions  that  it  generates,  such  as  nitrogen 
oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), methane (CH4), particulate matter (PM) and black 
carbon (BC).  

(12)  According  to  the  impact  assessment  accompanying  the  Clean  Air  Policy  Package  of 
December  201313,  the  sulphur  emissions  from  maritime  transport  are  set  to  reduce 
significantly  following  the  revision  of  the  Directive  on  sulphur  content  of  marine 
fuels14,  while  engine-related  PM  and  NOx  emissions  from  vessels  will  continue  to 
affect  air  quality  levels  in  the  Union.  NOx  emissions  from  international  maritime 
transport  in  European  waters  could  be  equal  to  land-based  sources  in  the  Union  by 
2020 onwards15.  

(13)  The  progressive  reduction  of  air  pollution  in  the  Union  builds  on  the  reductions 
delivered  by  substance-specific  source  based  air  pollution  legislation  defining  (NOx) 
emission limits, inter alia by means of fuel and engine standards, for various stationary 
and mobile emission sources.  

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

Decision (EU) No 1386/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on a  
General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 "Living well, within the limits of our planet", 
OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p.171 
Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Ambient Air Quality and  
Cleaner Air for Europe, OJ L 152, 11.6.2008, p. 1 
European Environment Agency (EEA), Report No 5/2015, Air quality in Europe – 2015 report,  
30.11.2015, p.30, p. 40 
Commission Staff Working Document No 531/2013, Impact Assessment accompanying the  
Communication from the Commission a Clean Air Programme for Europe, the proposal for a Directive 
of the European Parliament and of the Council on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into 
the air from medium combustion plants, the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  on  the  reduction  of  national  emissions  of  certain  atmospheric  pollutants  and  amending 
Directive 2003/35/EC, the proposal for a Council Decision on the acceptance of the Amendment to the 
1999  Protocol  to  the  1979  Convention  on  Long-Range  Transboundary  Air  Pollution  to  Abate 
Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone. 
Directive (EU) No 2016/802 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 relating to  
a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels (codification), OJ L132, 21.5.2016, p. 58 
European Environment Agency (EEA), Technical Report No 4/2013, The impact of international  
shipping on  European air quality and climate forcing – 14.3.2013 

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(14)  While  the  Union  has  set  marine  fuel  standards  as  well  as  emission  monitoring, 
reporting  and  verification  obligations  with  the  objective  of  protecting  and  improving 
the quality of the environment and human health from SOx and CO2 emissions to air 
generated by maritime transport, there is currently no source specific Union legislation 
addressing NOx emissions from international maritime shipping. 

(15)  The  2013  Clean  Air  Programme  for  Europe  Communication16  emphasises  that 
emissions  from  shipping  will  continue  to  impact  air  quality  on  land,  and  that 
reductions by the shipping sector could be cost-effective. It also notes that considering 
the international character of shipping, in principle preference must be given to policy 
development at the international level, such as designation of NOx Emission Control 
Areas  and  enforcement  of  NOx  emission  standards  already  agreed  by  the  IMO. 
According to the accompanying impact assessment there is clear potential for shipping 
to cost-effectively deliver NOx emission reductions. Designating NECAs in the EU sea 
areas would deliver substantial environmental and health benefits 

(16)  Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council17 provides that 
the Commission and Member States, as appropriate, shall without prejudice to Article 
218  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  pursue  bilateral  and 
multilateral  cooperation  with  third  countries  and  relevant  organizations  such  as  the 
International Maritime Organization (IMO) with the aim of improving the basis for the 
facilitations of emissions reductions. 

(17)  From the above it is clear that the approval and adoption of the amendments to Annex 
VI to MARPOL may frame the future development of EU legislation in this area.  

(18)  A Council decision based on Article 218(9) TFEU should be adopted in order to set 

out the Union position regarding the adoption of those amendments. 

(19)  Member States should support adoption of the proposed amendments to Annex VI to 
MARPOL designating the North and Baltic Seas as NECAs at the 70th session of the 
MEPC (October 2016), and their subsequent approval in MEPC 71 (Spring 2017). 

(20)  The Union is neither a member of the IMO nor a contracting party to MARPOL. It is 
therefore  necessary  for  the  Council  to  authorise  the  Member  States  to  express  the 
position of the Union and express their consent to be bound by these amendments, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:  

1. 

2. 

16 
17 

Article 1 

The position of the Union at the 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection 
Committtee  of  the  International  Maritime  Organization  shall  be  to  support  the 
approval  of  the  amendments  to  Annex  VI  to  MARPOL  designating  the  North  and 
Baltic Seas as Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area. 

This position shall also be valid at any other meetings of the IMO MEPC should the 
amendments  not  be  approved  at  the  70th  session  of  the  Marine  Environment 
Protection Committee.  

COM(2013/0918) final 
Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2011 on national 
emissions ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants, OJ L 309, 27.11.2001, p. 22 

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1. 

2. 

1. 

2. 

Article 2 

The position of the Union at the 71st session of the Marine Environment Protection 
Committee  of  the  International  Maritime  Organization  shall  be  to  agree  to  the 
adoption  of  the  amendments  to  Annex  VI  to  MARPOL  designating  the  North  and 
Baltic Seas as Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area. 

This position shall also be valid at any other meetings of the IMO MEPC should the 
amendments not be adopted at the 71st session of the Marine Environment Protection 
Committee.  

Article 3 

The  position  of  the  Union  as  set  out  in  Articles  1  and  2  shall  be  expressed  by  the 
Member  States,  which  are  members  of  IMO,  acting  jointly  in  the  interest  of  the 
Union. 

Minor changes to the amendments referred to in Articles 1 and 2 may be supported 
and  agreed  to  by  the  representatives  of  the  Union  without  further  decision  of  the 
Council.  

Member States are hereby authorized to give their consent to be bound, in the interest of the 
Union, by the amendments referred to in Articles 1 and 2.  

Article 4 

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.  

Done at Brussels, 

Article 5 

For the Council 
The President 

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