Council Directive (EU) 2018/131 of 23 January 2018 implementing the Agreement concluded by the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) to amend Directive 2009/13/EC in accordance with the amendments of 2014 to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as approved by the International Labour Conference on 11 June 2014 (Text with EEA relevance. )

This Directive implements the agreement concluded between the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) on 5 December 2016 to amend Directive 2009/13/EC in accordance with the 2014 amendments to the MLC.

In line with the social partners' agreement, the Agreement concluded by the ECSA and the ETF on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, set out in the Annex to Directive 2009/13/EC is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Directive.

1 Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 16 February 2020. They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof. When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States.

2 Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main measures of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

3 Member States may entrust social partners with the implementation of this Directive where social partners jointly request to do so and provided that the Member States take all the necessary steps to ensure that they can at all times guarantee the results sought under this Directive.

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.