Brussels, 16/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the Asia- Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Milan in mid-October, the outgoing EU leaders - European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso - called for the strengthening of trade relations with the Philippines when President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines visited Brussels for the first time on Monday 15 September. Aquino has been president since 2010.
“I look forward to strengthening our trade and investment relations. The European Union is negotiating free-trade agreements in the region and remains open to start further negotiations”, Van Rompuy told his guest. The EU has long wanted to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Manila (see EUROPE 10604). Their bilateral relations are governed by a partnership and cooperation agreement signed in July 2012 - which provides for a deepening of the political dialogue on peace, international security and human rights, a strengthening of economic and trade relations, and closer collaboration on issues such as migration and energy (see EUROPE 10654).
Before his meeting with Van Rompuy, Aquino confirmed, in agreement with Barroso, “the commitment of the EU and the Philippines to deepening their partnership, especially on the trade and investment level in order to offer more opportunities to their companies”. The EU is the Philippines' third biggest trade partner and its top investor.
On the political level, Van Rompuy and Barroso welcomed Aquino's efforts “to bring peace, stability and development to the Philippines”, including the signature, last spring, of a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on the island of Mindanao - which is inhabited by a strong Muslim minority traditionally rebelling against Manila. The EU supports this process through various development projects worth €106 million, Barroso stated.
Regional security in East Asia was also on the discussion agenda, with the sensitive issue of the territorial conflict in the South China Sea. This conflict involves different islands and archipelagos which are claimed in full or in part by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Sultanate of Brunei as the different interests of these countries lie in acquiring fishing areas, exploiting oil and natural gas fields and the control of a strategic position. On Monday, Aquino stated that the Philippines remained determined to work for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. “Like the EU, we believe that the only viable and effective solution is one that is based on international law, and in particular under the UN convention on law of the sea”, Aquino said.
Lastly, Aquino spoke to Barroso about Manila's efforts at fighting illegal fishing in the Philippines archipelago. (EH)