The European Union and the Philippines are committed to work together to address human rights and labor rights concerns, specifically those involving labor relations between the parties.
A monitoring mission is scheduled later this year to visit the Philippines. This is in line with the first-ever Sub-Committee on Good Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the new European Union-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).
Both sides agree that it will be a “good occasion to assess progress, building on the results of this first Sub-Committee, and will provide an additional platform for continued engagement on human rights and labor rights issues between the EU and the Philippines.”
The next Sub-Committee meeting is expected to take place in the Philippines during the first semester of 2022.
The meeting was opened by Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Representative for Human Rights. It was co-chaired by Paola Pampaloni, deputy managing director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service.
On the Philippines side, the country was represented by Jaime Victor Ledda, assistant secretary of the Office of European Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).