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FOR
failing to act in the last 18 months on the European
Commission proposal for a bilateral deal qualifying it
to the comprehensive free-trade agreement (FTAs) between
the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean), the Philippines faces the risk of
being excluded from the FTA. That exclusion, in turn,
could hurt its chances of accessing the 27-nation EU
markets.
Ambassador Alistair Macdonald, head of delegation of the
European Commission in the Philippines, said that in
contrast, the Philippines’ neighbors—Indonesia, Thailand
and Vietnam—are now in the final stages of negotiations
for their respective partnership-cooperation agreements
(PCAs). The Philippines is hosting next month the 5th
Joint Committee Meeting for the EU-Asean proposed FTA
that seeks to facilitate trade and investments between
the world’s two largest and most influential regional
blocs, with a combined population of close to one
billion.
“With
the speed of movement in Indonesia, Thailand and
Vietnam, the Philippines is very slow [in negotiating
for the PCA with the EU],” said Macdonald in a recent
briefing at the EC office in RCBC building in
Makati.
He said
“the worst-case scenario is that we make progress in the
FTA with other Asean countries and the
Philippines
will not be able to take part in the FTA.”
Chairman
Oscar Lopez of the First Philippine Holdings Corp., a
major shareholder in Meralco, lamented the decline in
Philippine exports to the EU market in the last five
years, partly as a result of the overconcentration in
the US market.
“The
Philippines is not taking advantage of the
opportunities in the EU market just like its Asean
neighbors,” said Lopez in a speech during the 30th
anniversary of the European Chamber of Commerce in the
Philippines (ECCP) late Friday. He was awarded the
“Mother of Pearl” plaque by the ECCP for his exemplary
cooperation.
In his
acceptance speech, Lopez said the Philippine exports
industry is currently on a decline, with its “huge focus
on the US market” and its failure to consider the
“opportunities in
Europe.”
He
added: “And the current
US
recession is further dragging the Philippine market
…it’s not doing us any good.”
The 5th
Joint Committee Meeting for the EU-Asean proposed free
trade deal will include exchanges on the liberalization
of sectors in transportation, services and professions.
The last JCM held in Bangkok tackled liberalization in
banking and telecommunications in the two regional
blocs.
The
proposed PCA between the EU and the Philippines seeks
closer cooperation in addressing common concerns like
the fight against terrorism, promotion of human rights
and rule of law, legal migration for Filipinos in EU
member states and good governance. |
