The European Commission has dropped its legal action with the Spanish Government for discriminating against workers on the basis of nationality in getting jobs on ships flying the Spanish flag.
The decision to drop the case resulted from Spanish action to bring its legislation into line with EU law, the European Commission said in a statement. The legal proceedings following a European Court of Justice ruling in 2008 that Spanish regulations breached EU law on the free movement of workers.
EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Laszlo Andor commented: "Free movement of workers is one of the fundamental freedoms of the EU. Seafarers like all EU workers cannot be discriminated against on the basis of nationality when moving around Europe."
