Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, negotiations on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the Philippines will resume in an effort to hasten the start of “a new era of cooperation.”
EU and Philippines relaunch free trade talks: When Benigno Aquino was the president of the Philippines, the negotiations began, but Rodrigo Duterte put them on hold two years later after replacing him. Duterte’s violent drug war soured ties with the West and prompted an international investigation.
In Manila, during a joint press conference with President Ferdinand Marcos, von der Leyen expressed her delight about the decision to relaunch negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA).
According to her, an FTA has “huge potential for both of us” in terms of jobs and growth. “Our teams will get to work right now on setting the right conditions so that we can get back to the negotiations,” she said.
The Philippines’ second bilateral agreement after Japan would be an FTA with the European Union, which is the country’s fourth-largest economic partner.
As “like-minded partners” who “share values of democracy, sustainable and inclusive prosperity, the rule of law, peace and stability, and human rights,” Marcos characterised the Philippines and the European Union.
The Philippines now has the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) designation, which entitles it to tax-free exports of 6,274 goods to the European Union. However, this designation is slated to expire at the end of this year.
Brussels reduces its import taxes to zero on two-thirds of product categories through the GSP+ program, which is extended to underdeveloped nations, in exchange for their compliance with 27 international treaties on human rights, labor rights, the environment, and good governance.
drug conflict
Due to Duterte’s anti-narcotics onslaught, which killed thousands of lives, rights watchdogs and several EU lawmakers have asked the European Union to refuse to extend the pact with the Philippines.
Even though Marcos stressed the importance of rehabilitation, the drug war has persisted during his leadership. However, a local monitoring organisation estimates that more than 350 people have died since he came to power in June 2022.
Philippe Dam, director of Human Rights Watch in the EU, voiced concern that von der Leyen “was not addressing human rights and civil liberties issues effectively.”
Make no mistake, Dam stated in a statement, “The human rights situation in the Philippines remains dire.”
“The EU should not turn a blind eye and should condition future trade agreements on real advancements in labour and human rights as well as accountability for past violations.”
Although it was still a “work in progress,” an EU official told journalists in Manila that Marcos had been making “important steps” to improve his nation’s human rights record.
Under oath, the official claimed that Marcos’ general leadership style “has facilitated our cooperation” despite the fact that other factors had also come into play, namely the necessity for Europe and the Philippines to lessen their reliance on trade with China.
“Von der Leyen’s Historic Visit to the Philippines Brings Strong Economic Cooperation and Green Initiatives”
The first head of the European Commission to visit the Philippines, Von der Leyen, stated that both parties had “learned the cost of economic dependencies the hard way.”
The foundation for diversifying supply chains was a free-trade agreement, which could also serve as “a springboard for new technology cooperation to modernise the broader economy.”
She said that the European Union would give the Philippines $513 million in funding to support the development of “green energy” and plastics recycling, as well as offer satellite data to aid in the country’s improved preparedness for severe weather.