The EU’s global strategy and the Philippines

This summer, the European Union’s High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini released the EU’s global strategy “Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe” which lays out the EU’s principles and interest for engaging with the World. It gives the EU a collective sense of direction.

In this strategy, Asia holds a significant role as it underlines its strategic importance for European success. The strategy states that peace and stability in Asia are a prerequisite for European prosperity and likewise underscores the need to deepen economic diplomacy and to scale up the EU’s security role in the region. This includes the EU being not only economically engaged but also helping to address security challenges in Asia.

The global strategy also cites EU’s relations with East Asia; advancing free trade agreements including with ASEAN; boosting security relationships with Indonesia; supporting Afghanistan and upholding freedom of navigation and maritime law. It also goes into significant detail about adopting “principled pragmatism” to addressing international challenges in Europe’s near neighborhood, and also in the Asian region.

The EU also plans to strengthen co-operation in Asia on counter-terrorism, anti-trafficking and migration, transport, trade and energy. Climate change, human rights and democratic transitions will remain high on the agenda of the European Union.

Globally, it outlines five priorities: security of our Union; state and societal resilience to our East and South; an integrated approach to conflicts; cooperative regional orders and global governance for the 21st century.

In the strategy, the EU highlights its role in global governance through partnership as it admits that it cannot deliver alone and will have to act as an agenda shaper, a connector, a coordinator and facilitator.

In this column, I would like to focus on this point – global governance and how this relates with the Philippines’ setting.

A few weeks ago, together with Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, DoJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, and DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno, I had the pleasure of participating in the closing event of one of our major programs – the European Union-Philippines Justice Support Programme II or EPJUST II.

I am pleased to share with you that the EPJUST II was able to demonstrate how government agencies can successfully form efficient alliances with civil society organisations, universities and local communities in enhancing accessibility to justice, fighting impunity and promoting transparency and accountability to benefit the poor and disadvantaged, and in particular, women, children, indigenous peoples, human rights and social activists.

Let me list some of the many concrete achievements of this initiative: support to the consolidation of the Justice Sector Coordinating Council as the focal point for efforts to galvanise reform in the sector; support to the creation of Justice Zones to improve justice delivery and efficiency (the first of which is in Quezon City); implementation of a pilot community and service oriented policing scheme in Puerto Princesa, Palawan where the police and local communities address together the problem of illegal drugs; the establishment of pilot local monitoring mechanisms in Davao del Sur and Region 12 on the issue of extra-legal killings and enforced disappearances.

As we close this initiative, the EU and the Philippines are embarking on a new justice program called ‘Governance in Justice (or GOJUST)’for which the EU and the Government of Spain are providing a P900 million grant to   strengthen the Justice Sector Coordinating Council, and to generally facilitate the justice reform agenda of the Philippines as developed by the government and the Supreme Court. It will also have an important human rights component.

The promotion of the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms forms an intrinsic part of our development cooperation programs that we undertake in close partnership with the Philippine government. This is likewise reflected in the global strategy which delineates the need to “pursue locally owned rights-based approaches to the reform of the justice, security and defence sectors.”

In the Philippines, the EU also provides grants to Philippine civil society organizations for the protection of human rights defenders and to promote the rights of women, children and indigenous peoples. In the areas of trade and investment, while receiving preferential GSP+ access to the EU market, the Philippines committed to maintaining ratification and ensuring effective implementation of 27 core international conventions relating to human and labor rights, environment and good governance listed in Annex VIII to Regulation 978/2012 (“GSP Regulation”).

President Duterte and his administration are now addressing a number of key issues ranging from the peace process in Mindanao, the war against drugs, the West Philippine Sea question, the fight against corruption as well as launching a major economic reform program. Important progress has already been made on issues such as the peace process. There is also a renewed focus on the importance of the fight against crime; something that is key for the development of any modern society, as well as the respect for human rights and the rule of law, which President Duterte stresses have to be fully respected and for which he has the support of the EU.

More than 60 days have passed already and the EU is hopeful that the positive gains achieved by programs such as EPJUST and EIDHR-supported ventures will support and inspire further both government and human rights defenders to remain steadfast in their resolve to adhere to law and justice. In the meantime, the European Union will also continue its commitment to make a difference and to “a global order based on international law, including the principles of the UN Charter, which ensure peace, human rights, sustainable development and lasting access to the global commons. This commitment translates into an aspiration to transform rather than simply preserve the existing system.”

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(Franz Jessen is the EU Ambassador)