The EU’s Representation in International Organizations: Case C-161/20 Commission v. Council (International Maritime Organization)

This article analyses Case C-161/20 Commission v. Council (International Maritime Organization (IMO)), in which the Court of Justice of the EU upheld a Council Decision endorsing a submission to the IMO by the Presidency of the Council on behalf of the European Commission and the Member States (MSs), and not on behalf of the EU. With this case, the Court contributes to the debate on the EU’s external representation, particularly in the context of an international organization to which all the MSs, but not the EU, are parties and which regulates issues falling within EU competences. Combining an EU external relations law and a public international law perspective, this article assesses the Court’s reliance on and interpretation of international law and explores the boundaries carved by EU and international law for the participation of the EU as a separate entity in the IMO. It also seeks to discern how this case fits within the Court’s established ‘gatekeeping’ mechanisms in determining the effects of international law in the EU legal order and whether it signals an emerging, more flexible engagement with international law. International Maritime Organization, European Union, international organizations, Court of Justice of the EU, competences, international law, external representation