QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) — The Philippine has formally rejected P380 million or 6.1 million euros worth of aid from the European Union.
This was confirmed by European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen who said that the Philippines rejected the EU-Philippine Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) worth 6.1 million euros when it returned the agreement unsigned.
“It was formalized after they returned the financial agreements of the TRTA that should be signed by end of the year,” Jessen said in a phone interview.
The TRTA or Trade-Related Technical Assistance which the Philippine government discontinued is the fourth in a series, which the “EU has been supporting for a decade,” Jessen explained.
Jessen said that it seemed that the Philippines will also reject its Php 2.4 billion aid for renewable energy projects.
“The next that could be rejected are renewable energy-related aid amounting to around €40 million … This is for building solar power in Mindanao,” Jessen said.
The EU ambassador said that EU respected the government’s decision to reject the assistance.
“We respect their decision. It’s important that we don’t have any misunderstanding, but it’s, at the end of the day, for them to decide,” he said.