Philippines-EU Joint Committee Meets, Establishes New Dialogue on Maritime Security
30 June 2023
Brussels
1. The third Joint Committee Meeting between the Philippines and the EU was convened on 30 June 2023 in Brussels.
2. The Joint Committee reviewed the on-going bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation under the Philippines - European Union Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and discussed possible future cooperation initiatives in a number areas. It built upon the outcomes of the three subcommittee meetings (on Good Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights; Development Cooperation as well as Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation;), held physically in Manila (the Philippines) on 6 October, 23 November and 25 November 2022, respectively.
3. As concerns regional security developments, the Philippines and the EU agreed on the need to find peaceful solutions to conflicts while respecting principles of international law and the UN Charter. The Philippines and the EU reiterated their condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and renewed their call for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. International humanitarian law must be respected and safe and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance must be allowed. The Philippines and the EU agreed to continue to work together closely and stand up for the rules-based international order, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-aggression, as well as for a just peace based on respect for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as protected by the UN Charter.
4. The Philippines and the EU discussed the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. They agreed to build on and reinforce synergies between both strategies in order to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with all partners in the Indo-Pacific region. They underscored the priority areas for further cooperation, among others, security, including maritime security, cybersecurity, trade, multilateralism and rule-based international order.
5. On maritime security, the Philippines and the EU expressed concern over unilateral actions that endanger peace, security and stability and the rules-based international order. They underscored their unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, in particular the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its dispute settlement mechanisms, and the Arbitration Award rendered under UNCLOS on 12 July 2016. Moreover, they agreed to strengthen cooperation on maritime matters by establishing a Philippines-EU Subcommittee on Maritime Cooperation.
6. The Philippines and the EU also discussed other areas of sectoral cooperation, such as, environment, energy, climate change, disaster management, the fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, Critical Infrastructure, Connectivity.
7. The Philippines and the EU underscored the importance of rule of law, and respect for human rights, including labour rights, freedom of expression, press, and association, countering any form of violence in our societies, such as against civil society, women, children, migrants, and marginalized groups. They reaffirmed their commitment to those, as stated in the Partnership and Cooperation agreement while recognizing the accomplishments and the need for tangible and measurable progress in some areas of concern. The EU reaffirmed its support for the Joint Programme between the Philippines and the United Nations (UN) and the Philippines Government’s commitment to its operationalization. The Philippines underscored its priorities to boost the efficiency of the criminal justice system and appreciated the EU’s technical support in this regard, including through the Go Just mechanism. The Philippines highlighted its efforts to address human rights issues, provide remedies for victims of crimes and hold their perpetrators accountable. The EU will host the next sub-committee meeting in the second semester of 2023.
8. The EU reiterated its commitment to peace and development in Mindanao, and announced a number of programs that aim to support local capacities. The Philippines acknowledged that the EU is a valued partner, particularly in the area of renewable energy, good governance, justice reform, peace and development, and improvement of the country’s trade performance and competitiveness.
9. While discussing the ASEAN-EU relation, they referred to the situation in Myanmar, emphasizing the need to implement of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus of 24 April 2021in order to bring about a resolution to the crisis in Myanmar and reiterated support for the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy to Myanmar.
10. The next Joint Committee meeting will take place in Manila (Philippines) in 2024.
11. The EU Delegation was headed by Mr. Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the EEAS and the Philippine delegation by Hon. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs. They were also joined by the European Commission, and EU Member States and representatives from Philippine government agencies.
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