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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider EU Commission chief to meet with Marcos on key issues

EU Commission chief to meet with Marcos on key issues

Published Jul 29, 2023 04:10 am
The visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Manila next week will tackle trade, investment, green economy, digitalization, and security, among others, that aim to bolster the commission’s decades-long relationship with the Philippines. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen (Photo from European Union in the Philippines/Facebook) The commission is the body that shapes the European Union's (EU) overall strategy, and is currently “stepping up its strategic engagement with the broader Indo-Pacific region,” a statement posted on EU’s website said. Von der Leyen, who will be in the Philippines from July 31 to Aug. 1, will meet with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who extended the invitation to her when they met during the EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (EU-ASEAN) Commemorative Summit in December 2022 in Brussels. “The visit aims to give a new impetus to the EU-Philippines bilateral relations and engage in discussions on matters of mutual interest, in particular in the ears of trade, the green and digital transition and security,” the statement added. “During her visit, President von der Leyen is meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, during which they will discuss, among other issues, trade, investment and Global Gateway cooperation,” the statement added, referencing EU’s Global Gateway Strategy. Such strategy aims to address partner countries’ infrastructure needs amid “the most pressing global challenges” in climate change, health systems, and global supply chains. Von der Leyen will be the first European Commission president to ever pay an official visit to the Philippines in almost six decades of diplomatic relations. EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron also tweeted about the visit. “Happy to announce that European Commission President @vonderleyen will soon be in the Philippines for an official visit from 31 July to 1 August,” he wrote. Aside from her meeting with Marcos, she is also set to speak at a high-level business event organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) in partnership with the Makati Business Club (MBC). Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Von der Leyen to discuss human rights issues with Marcos. The group said the European Commission president “should make it clear to President Marcos that while a different narrative on human rights is welcome, his administration needs to walk the talk.” This as red tagging, drug war killings, and repression allegedly continue, the statement from HRW senior EU advocate Claudio Francavilla added. "Any strengthening of EU-Philippines relations and cooperation should be based on the government ending its abuses, delivering on human rights reform, and securing accountability for past and ongoing crimes," Francavilla said. Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that the EU has recognized progress in the country’s human rights conditions, which is one of the Philippines’ obligations under its preferential trade agreement with the regional bloc.

Related Tags

green economy European Commission European Union Ursula von der Leyen President Marcos Digitalization
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