Spain has submitted its candidacy for re-election as a member of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (OMI) and has done so in coincidence with the anniversary of the fifth centenary of the start of the naval expedition that would end as the first round the world.

Our country chooses, one more year, to continue in the group of the ten States with the greatest interests in international maritime trade.

Since 1973, Spain has been part of its Council in successive periods. Since 2001, in particular, he has been serving as a member of the Council in category B, which has earned the international community's confidence in our constructive contribution to the work of IMO through the Council.

In addition to the Assembly, plenary body of the IMO, the organization has another executive body – its Council – which groups 40 States divided into three categories: A, B and C. The first group includes the 10 States with the highest interests in the provision of international maritime services. The B at 10 with the highest interests in international maritime trade. And the C the 20 that have special interests in shipping or navigation.

Although all the members of the Council have the same status, these categories have been configured as a kind of relationship, ordered from highest to lowest, of relevant groups in international maritime governance.

Next biennium 2020-2021

The Council is elected by the Assembly for a term of two years beginning after each regular session of the Assembly. The next biennium is the one corresponding to 2020-2021.

Beyond the highly technical issues related to the regulation of the international maritime sector, the IMO has been becoming increasingly important from the political and diplomatic point of view, hence the importance not only of staying in it but of having a active presence in decision making.

The adoption of internationally applicable strategies and rules on maritime transport or marine pollution, which profoundly affect the relationship between States, highlights the remarkable success that would be the re-election of Spain as a member of the IMO Council.



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