13 August 2015 – Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario met with Madame Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security and Vice President of the European Commission (HRVP), on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 August 2015. This was the first meeting between the two ministers after Madame Mogherini’s assumption as HRVP.
Secretary Del Rosario and Madame Mogherini discussed the excellent state of relations between the Philippines and European Union (EU), especially with the resolution of major challenges such as the removal of Philippine carriers from the EU air safety blacklist, the removal of the yellow card for the Philippines with regard to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF), and the continued recognition of Philippine-issued standards of training, certification, and watchkeeping (STCW) certificates for seafarers.
The meeting was also an opportunity for Secretary Del Rosario to thank the EU for its consistent position against unilateralism in the South China Sea and for its resolute support for the principle that disputes must be handled peacefully in accordance with international law. Secretary Del Rosario discussed security issues with Madame Mogherini, including developments in the arbitration case filed by the Philippines in The Hague.
Secretary Del Rosario conveyed the Philippine government’s gratitude to the EU for its support for the Mindanao Peace Process, where the EU is deeply involved as a member of the International Monitoring Team and as a major development assistance partner. It was noted that the EU is the largest contributor to the Mindanao Trust Fund.
The two sides also discussed the interest of the EU to join the East Asia Summit (EAS), a major regional leaders’ annual forum composed of the ten ASEAN countries and eight of its dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Russia. It was noted that the Philippines will be ASEAN Chair during the 40th anniversary of the establishment of formal ASEAN-EU relations. END