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 last month.
Ambassador to Brussels and the European Union Eduardo José 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 Nov. 29 signing was “an important milestone for Philippine-EU bilateral relations,” according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“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,” it added.
During the signing ceremony, 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 last March 1 and the recent visit of Foreign Affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to Brussels last October show the steadily deepening Philippine-EU relations.
For his part, Marschik expressed his happiness with the conclusion of the agreement. Geil meanwhile lauded the 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/PN)
