By Caesar R. Vallejos, EBC Correspondent
Unperturbed by the continuous lambasting of the European Union (EU) by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, including asking the diplomats to leave the country, EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said “we’re still here and we are not only still here but we are here in great numbers.”
READ how President Duterte lashed out at the EU here.
In front of key government officials that included Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez and EU businessmen who were present at the EU-Philippines Business Summit at the Solaire recently, the EU Ambassador said that the interest of EU this year is the strong belief on the rule of law, the UN institutions, historical and cultural dates and very extensive people to people contacts.
Supporting the EU Ambassador’s statement, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) President Guenter Taus said, “we have to weather it but we have no reason for us to leave the country and think that investments are not coming into the country.”
“It’s business as usual. Nothing has changed and we intend to keep it that way,” he continued.
“We all have rocky roads sometimes. We have been in the country for forty years and we intend to stay for another 40 years if not 400, ” the ECCP President added.
Difficult to maneuver
While Taus initially said that they are “getting immune to certain things,” referring to President Duterte’s tirades, he admitted the difficulty of the times. “It is difficult to maneuver in a scenario like this but it has not stopped investments from coming in,” he shared.
He was quick to note that recent pronouncements will not affect the GSP+ negotiations and the EU FTA. “Business does not mingle in politics. We see to it that business gets addressed and gets addressed adequately,” Taus mentioned.
Asked if the EU-Philippine trade relations is taken as a hostage to further negotiations, Tuas emphasized that “it was not perceived as such, we know rhetoric is rhetoric and we have taken it with a smile.”
He announced that on October 26, 40 European companies would be in the Philippines who are directly seeking to set up shop in the country. “So we will have a lot of business to business arrangements,” he said.
NO to interference
Replying to the EU Ambassador, DTI Secretary Lopez said that “It’s good that you’re still here but I always get the jokes that your grab bag is always ready.”
“It is good that the EU has clarified that the recent visit of the International Delegates of the Progressive Alliance to the Philippines was not an EU mission,” Lopez said. He said the group issued remarks and comments that interfered with Philippine domestic affairs.
“The core of our message is to reiterate the time-honored values of human respect for sovereignty as nations. We don’t interfere as well with the domestic affairs of other nations, ” the DTI Secretary emphasized.
Lopez reiterated the government’s adherence to human rights protection. “We are one of the original signatories to the UN Declaration of Human Rights. There is full democracy and well functioning and vibrant institutions. Any interference is viewed as preventing us from doing our jobs,” he stressed.
The DTI Secretary also asked EU will be more engaging in highlighting constructive collaboration and joint development programs that benefit many Filipinos especially those in the poor rural areas, the farmers, the fishermen, the Muslims and several indigenous people groups.
The GSP+ and EU FTA trade negotiations are currently ongoing. Lopez said that the negotiations will be affected “if and when an interference happens.”
1st EU-Philippines Business Summit: Turning point
There are three reasons that mark the turning point of the EU-Philippines Summit.
The first, according to EU Ambassador Jessen is the changing political and trade policy profile of Europe. “We believe strongly that the multilateral trading system serves its best. It provides predictability, fairness by having important roles that are mutually and multilaterally binding,” he explained.
The second reason is the growth of the European economy at a very healthy rate. “There is a very significant increase in EU imports from the other parts of the world including the Philippines,” he said.
Finally, the EU Ambassador said that the Philippines is enjoying increased access to the EU’s vast market. “We now expect that the exports from the Philippines will exceed 10 billion US dollars this year. We are the fastest growing export market for the Philippines among any of your major trading partners,” the EU Ambassador announced.
READ how the Philippines is poised as a competitive destination for EU businesses here.
