European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Manila aims to strengthen the relations between the Philippines and the European Commission, and accelerate these to a higher level in terms of both regions’ fight against climate change, transformation to a digital future, and security cooperation.
“Today, I’m here to accelerate a new era of cooperation between us. We share so many values and interests. We both want to work towards strengthening our democracies. We believe in the international rules-based order and we believe in the need to promote and to defend it,” Von der Leyen said.
“So, it makes sense to strengthen our ties across the board, and we discover, discuss several ways to do so.”
Von der Leyen is the first EU Commission President to set foot on Philippine soil. The visit also took place over a year after Von der Leyen first met with President Marcos in 2022 during the successful EU-ASEAN Summit in Brussels.
During their first meeting in Brussels last year, the two leaders successfully addressed the decades-long issues on the accreditation of Filipino seafarers. As a result, the European Commission has agreed to extend the recognition of Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCWS) issued by the Philippines, which President Marcos said has a positive impact on the employment of over 50,000 Filipino seafarers working onboard EU-flagged vessels.
The EU Commission President’s visit also coincides with the 60th Anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the EU Commission.
“We have a broad roadmap to bring our partnership to the next level. Let’s use the great momentum we have in our relationship and many thanks for hosting me here,” Von der Leyen said during her visit to the Philippines on Monday.
In her remarks, Von der Leyen said that the Philippines and the EU Commission will take their relationships to the “next level” as she emphasized that they are already the fourth largest trading partner and the first foreign investor in the Philippines.
She also emphasized that the EU Commission and the Philippines “can do so much more” with the strengthened ties between the two regions as she expressed optimism on the efforts to relaunch negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
She stood firm that an FTA has huge potential for both the Philippines and the EU Commission in terms of economic growth and employment rate as she underscored the need to diversify and make the two regions’ supply lines more resilient.
“This is the lesson we have learned and that is what we call de-risking our trade relations. An FTA is the basis for that but it’s also much more. An FTA can be a springboard for a new technology cooperation to modernize the broader economy,” she said.
Von der Leyen also welcomed the Philippine government’s efforts to put the country “on the path to a cleaner and greener future” as she emphasized that they have created the “Global Gateway,” which is their investment plan for the world’s sustainable infrastructure.
“We want to partner with you on this path. Notably with the Team Europe initiative on the green economy that we just signed here. We will provide financing, expertise, and access to technologies to support you in the transition to a circular economy and the generation of green energy,” she said.
“Team Europe, that is the European Union and the Member States, will contribute almost half a billion euros into this green initiative. The European Union is also supporting your fight against climate change and extreme weather events with its so-called ‘eyes in the sky.’ This is the Copernicus satellite,” she added.
She said that the EU is currently setting up the so-called “Copernicus” data mirror within the Philippine Space Agency as she emphasized that they have signed an agreement with the Philippine government to boost the flow of “Earth observation data” between the two regions.
She emphasized that the Copernicus data mirror in the Philippines, which is the first in space cooperation in Asia, is very important for early warning to improve the climate resilience of the country.
Aside from these efforts, Von der Leyen said that the third point of her visit to the Philippines was to help the country in turning it into a “digital hub” where some European companies are ready to come and invest in the country.
Von der Leyen said that they will launch this year the Digital Economy package for the Philippines.
“That is, we will work together on fast and reliable connectivity with submarine cables, on cybersecurity training, and on deployment and development of 5G,” Von der Leyen said, referring to the planned launching of the Digital Economy package for the country.
“We are also working on a possible extension on a submarine cable that we plan to build between the European via the Arctic to Japan, and this cable could go all the way down to Southeast Asia. And we believe that it could go via the Philippines. That would give you a strategic position on an infrastructure that could be instrumental both for your prosperity and national security. We will stay in close contact on this.”
Von der Leyen also emphasized that she wants to work in partnership with the Philippines as she noticed the country’s great potential for “critical raw materials” that are needed for a clean and digital future for both the Philippines and the EU Commission.
She asked the Philippines to start identifying projects that the EU Commission may develop, for example, the country’s local mining industry to support the communities, and contribute to a secure global supply of critical raw materials.
“Our existing partnerships on critical raw materials do not only invest in extraction but across the whole value chain. We share technology and knowledge, we train the local workforce, and we empower local communities, and of course, we abide by the highest environmental standards,” Von der Leyen said.
Finally, Von der Leyen said that the EU is committed to supporting “maritime security in the region by sharing information, conducting threat assessment, and building the capacity of your National Coast Watch Center and your Coast Guard.” PND
