THE TOURISM department expects a rise in tourists from Europe following the European Union’s (EU) green light for Philippine Airlines (PAL) to fly to the group’s 28 member states.
Jul 112013
Jul 112013
EU, PHL agree to expand justice reform program. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (left), European Union Ambassdor Guy Ledoux (center), and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas II sign a memorandum of agreement expanding the EU-PHL Justice Reform Program. The EU will support the program with a euro 10 million (P570M) grant. GMA News The European Union has earmarked P570 million or about €10 million to improve the Philippines’ justice system to benefit the poor and disadvantaged people. This was formalized Thursday through the launch of European Union-Philippine Justice Support Programme II (EPJUST-II), the third of similar funding programs by the EU in the country. In his speech, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas highlighted the importance of the financial support from the EU, particularly for poor Filipinos who could not afford the services of lawyers. “With the assistance from the EU, we can address the justice situation in the country. We can help the poor and the voiceless. They would now be given this access and they can better realize their hopes and their rights as citizens of this country,” he said. Aside from giving poor Filipinos access to justice, the funding also seeks to address extra-legal killings and enforced disappearances. For several years, human rights groups have scored the Philippines’ dismal human rights record, particularly during the Arroyo administration when cases of extra-judcial killings soared to more than 1,000. But when President Beningo Aquino III assumed the presidency in 2010, the United Nations noted a significant decrease in reported Read More …
Jul 102013
Agence France-Presse 9:16 am | Thursday, July 11th, 2013 BRUSSELS—The European Union on Wednesday allowed carriers Philippines Airlines and Venezuela’s Conviasa back into European airspace on the grounds of improved safety and compliance with EU regulations. The EU executive, the European Commission, removed the two from a blacklist—the EU air safety list—after slapping an operational ban on the Filipino flag-carrier in 2010 and on Conviasa in 2012. The decision to lift the bans was an element of the EU’s updated list which now leaves 280 airlines from 20 states still barred from flying in the EU. “Today we confirmed our willingness to remove countries and airlines from the list if they show real commitment and capacity to implement international safety standards in a sustainable manner,” said the EU’s Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. Earlier in Manila, EU ambassador Guy Ledoux said Philippines Airlines will be allowed to fly into the 28-member bloc from Friday, which will spur tourism and business links. “This is a tremendous achievement in such a short period of time,” Ledoux said. He added that the EU would conduct further reviews so other Philippine carriers would also be able to fly to Europe as well. “This decision is very encouraging and is the first success of CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) and Philippine Airlines,” he told reporters. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your Read More …
Jun 152013
LUXEMBOURG– The European Union worked around French objections on Friday to agree on a free trade negotiating mandate for sweeping talks with the United States that President Barack Obama wants to officially open next week. Under Friday’s deal, trade ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg agreed to France’s demand to keep its movie and television industry out of the hotly anticipated trans-Atlantic talks. But, they said they could possibly come back to debate it at a later time, meaning the deeply divisive issue could resurface. The outcome should allow Obama and his EU counterparts to announce the start of negotiations for a deal expected to provide a big boost to growth and jobs by eliminating tariffs and other barriers that have long plagued economic relations. A free trade pact would create a market with common standards and regulations across countries that together account for nearly half the global economy. France’s longstanding objections, which turned a simple ministerial meeting into a 12-hour negotiating marathon, showed the challenges ahead. Within the EU alone, there is a rift with some nations big on protecting struggling sectors with subsidies and more pro-free-trade member states. Beyond the audiovisual sector, major problems are expected to emerge over agriculture and transport. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Friday night though, Finland’s European Affairs Minister Alexander Stubb tweeted optimistically about the prospect of trans-Atlantic negotiations: “Play ball!” he wrote. All other EU nations have vowed to protect the culture industry as well, but the large Read More …
Apr 182013
By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:10 am | Friday, April 19th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: We are on a very positive curve. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Negotiations for the lifting of Europe’s blanket air ban against Philippine carriers are “on a very positive curve” as the European Union wants the issue resolved soon in hopes of bolstering trade and tourism with the Philippines, according to the EU ambassador here. The resumption of the European flights of Philippine carriers is of mutual interest as it would facilitate greater business and people-to-people exchanges between the EU and the Philippines, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said Thursday. “I think really we are on a very positive curve. I mean the first major achievement was the lifting of the safety concern by Icao (International Civil Aviation Organization) earlier this year,” Ledoux told reporters. “I think what is important is that a very important dialogue has been reestablished,” he said. Two days previously, transport officials from the European Commission met in Brussels with representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific to discuss the remedies that the Philippine side has implemented to bring airline safety measures at par with EU standards. The Philippines passed the Icao’s safety audit in February, ending three years of being listed among the countries deemed of “significant safety concern” by the international aviation regulator. The negative Icao assessment prompted the EU to ban Philippine carriers from flying to Europe in 2010.
Apr 162013
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has launched a EUR3.5-million aid for the implementation of the country’s environmental laws and other “green” projects.
Feb 262013
By Maricar Cinco Inquirer Southern Luzon 4:26 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: Journalist killings still do happen. FILE PHOTO LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux called journalists “true defenders of human rights,” but he said the continuing attacks on media workers in the Philippines and the government’s failure to pass the freedom of information bill remained a concern even after the country had transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. Journalists perform alongside lawyers, activists, politicians and other groups in defending human rights but they continue to fall victim to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, Ledoux said in a speech at the 8th National Congress of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) last weekend. The NUJP elected a new set of officers at the congress, six of whom were reporters and provincial correspondents of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ledoux, who was appointed head of the EU’s delegation to the Philippines two years ago to look into media killings, said 11 to 14 Filipino journalists had been killed since June 2010 but the cases remained unsolved and the masterminds allowed to walk free. Maguindanao massacre “The EU recognizes the current administration’s efforts to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and to prosecute those responsible. But, at the same time, we observe that journalist killings do still happen, with the latest killing taking place on Nov. 8, 2012,” he said. Ledoux cited the massacre in November 2009 of 58 people in Maguindanao, among Read More …