PH-EU HORIZONTAL AVIATION AGREEMENT. Ambassador to the European Union Eduardo José A. de Vega shakes hands with Ambassador Dr. Nikolaus Marschik, head of the Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU, during the signing of the PH-EU Horizontal Aviation Agreement in Brussels on Nov. 29, 2018. (European Council photo)
BRUSSELS – The Philippines and the European Union (EU) have signed the PH-EU Horizontal Aviation Agreement during a ceremony held at the Justus Lipsius Building in Brussels on 29 November 2018.
Ambassador to Brussels and the European Union Eduardo José A. de Vega, and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative of Austria to the EU and Permanent Representatives Committee Chairman Nikolaus Marschik and European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) Deputy Head of Unit Klaus Geil signed the agreement on behalf of the Philippines and European Union, respectively.
The signing of the Agreement is an important milestone for Philippine-EU bilateral relations. It will not only remove nationality restrictions in bilateral air services agreements between the Philippines and EU Member States but will also harmonize standards and provisions between the Philippines and EU Member States in the fields of safety, taxation of aviation fuel, and compatibility with competition rules.
During the signing ceremony, Ambassador de Vega highlighted the significance of the agreement, especially for the half a million Filipinos living and working in EU countries.
He also stressed that this development, alongside the entry into force of the PH-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement on 01 March 2018 and the recent visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. to Brussels last 18-19 October 2018, shows the steadily deepening Philippine-EU relations under President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
For his part, Ambassador Marschik expressed his happiness with the conclusion of the agreement. Mr. Geil lauded this important step in enhancing aviation relations and cited the 64-percent increase in Philippine-EU air traffic over the past five years and noted that further growth is to be expected.
The agreement will enter into force after it has undergone the respective internal ratification procedures of the two sides. (DFA PR)
