EU affirms commitment to boost bilateral cooperation with PH

The European Union has affirmed its commitment to reinforce bilateral cooperation with the Philippines on a number of major fronts including trade and investment, countryside development and the Mindanao peace process.

This renewed commitment was made earlier this week during the 8th Senior Officials meeting between the EU and the Philippines.

“Dialogue on the progress in bilateral relations was conducted with the view to enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, development cooperation, human rights, air and maritime transport, the Mindanao Peace Process, the preservation of marine biodiversity, energy and disaster risk reduction and management,” the EU said in a statement issued Thursday.

During the meeting, the EU welcomed the positive developments following the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which was hailed by both sides as a crucial milestone in the Mindanao Peace Process.

This was expected to pave the way for enduring peace in Mindanao.

In the same note, the EU reiterated its “commitment to support the process both politically and through development assistance.”

The national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are working to complete the “annexes” to the framework agreement and put in place the mechanisms that will put the framework into action.

The Philippines and the EU likewise affirmed their shared interest in and commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law and agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in this area.

During the meeting, working groups on Trade and Investment and on Development Cooperation met separately to exchange views on multilateral and regional trade and investment issues.

“Discussions also focused on the state of play of bilateral trade and investment relations, trade and market access issues, IPR (intellectual property rights) enforcement, customs modernization, competition policy and procurement policy,” the EU added.

This year, the Philippines and the EU are embarking on two new development initiatives for the health sector reform contract and the Mindanao reconstruction and development fund.

“Budget support will be combined with capacity building to implement the Universal Health Care Agenda providing health insurance to more than 85 percent of the population including the poorest,” the EU said.

“The Peace Process in Mindanao will benefit from community-

based development initiatives assisting more than 500,000 poor in the conflict-affected region of Bangsamoro,” it added. Amy R. Remo