The International Maritime Organisation promotes cooperation among governments and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to prevent marine pollution. The purposes of IMO, as summarised by Article 1(a) of the Convention, are "to provide machinery for cooperation among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade; to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships". The organization is also empowered to deal with administrative and legal matters related to these purposes. IMO was established by means of a convention adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 17 March 1948. It has more than 160 members and the European Commission has an observer status at the IMO. It proposed the adhesion of the EU to the International Maritime Organisation , in April 2002, to reinforce the European contribution to the development of international policy on maritime safety