Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Philippines

SUMMARY OF:

Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and the Philippines

Council Decision 2012/272/EU on the signing of the agreement

Council Decision (EU) 2017/2414 on the conclusion of the agreement

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE AGREEMENT AND THE DECISIONS?

The agreement establishes a new and enhanced legal basis, enabling the European Union (EU) and the Philippines to strengthen their relationship, in particular on political, social and economic matters, including human rights.
Council Decision 2012/272/EU approves the EU’s signature of the partnership agreement.
Council Decision (EU) 2017/2414 approves the agreement itself.

KEY POINTS

The agreement commits the parties to comprehensive dialogue and cooperation on a number of issues including:

political, social and economic matters in all relevant regional and international forums and organisations;
combating terrorism and transnational crimes;
human rights and dialogue on the fight against serious crimes of international concern;
countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, small arms and light weapons, and promoting peace processes and conflict prevention;
all trade and investment areas of mutual interest;
the area of justice and security, including:
- legal cooperation,
- illicit drugs,
- money laundering,
- combating organised crime and corruption,
- data protection,
- refugees and internally displaced persons;
the areas of migration and maritime labour;
other sectors of mutual interest including:
- employment and social affairs,
- economic policy,
- audiovisual, media and multimedia,
- transport,
- the environment and natural resources, including climate change;
enhancing both parties’ participation in subregional and regional cooperation programmes open to the participation of the other party;
raising the roles and profiles of the Philippines and the EU;
promoting people-to-people understanding and effective dialogue and interaction with organised civil society.

Means of cooperation

Each party will make the appropriate resources available, including financial means, to the extent that their respective resources and regulations allow, to fulfil the cooperation objectives.
The parties will encourage the European Investment Bank to continue its operations in the Philippines, according to its procedures and financing criteria.

Joint committee

A joint committee composed of representatives from both parties will:

ensure the proper functioning and implementation of the agreement;
set priorities in relation to the agreement’s aims;
make recommendations for promoting the objectives of the agreement.

DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE

It entered into force on 1 March 2018.

BACKGROUND

The Philippines is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a key partner of the EU.
The Philippines has enjoyed enhanced trade preferences with the EU under the EU’s generalised scheme of preferences plus since December 2014.
Negotiations for an EU–Philippines free trade agreement have been ongoing since December 2015.

For further information, see:

Philippines – EU trade relations with Philippines. Facts, figures and latest developments (European Commission)
The European Union and the Philippines (European External Action Service).

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of the Philippines, of the other part (OJ L 343, 22.12.2017, pp. 3–32).

Successive amendments to the framework agreement have been incorporated into the legal text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Council Decision 2012/272/EU of 14 May 2012 on the signing, on behalf of the Union, of the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of the Philippines, of the other part (OJ L 134, 24.5.2012, p. 3).

Council Decision (EU) 2017/2414 of 25 September 2017 on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of the Philippines, of the other part (OJ L 343, 22.12.2017, pp. 1–2).