The Philippines is advancing the ratification process for a convention on labor to renew the trade privileges it enjoys under the European Union’s Generalized System of Preferences Plus.
Department of Trade and Industry assistant secretary Alan Gepty said the Convention on Labor Inspection No. 81 is one of the treaties that maybe added to the list of international agreements required for compliance by a GSP+ applicant or beneficiary.
“In any case, of the six proposed additional conventions by the EU Commission, PH has yet to ratify ILO Convention No. 81 on labor inspection. DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] is working on it,” he said Wednesday.
He said the DFA would assess if the ratification could be done via an executive agreement or treaty after the concurrence by concerned agencies. If the process will be via treaty accession, the ratification will require Senate concurrence, he said.
“For the Philippines, we are already working on the ratification process. As you know, the Philippines is a strong advocate of labor rights and welfare, thus, working on this accession will further strengthen our regime for the protection of workers,” Gepty said.
Under the current GSP+ regulations, beneficiaries are required to comply with 27 international agreements on labor rights, human rights, environment and good governance.
The European Commission proposed to add six conventions as part of the conditionalities to accessing the GSP+.
The DTI said the EU proposed additional agreements including the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Convention on Labor Inspection No 81, The Paris Agreement on Climate Change and United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
It said the European Parliament and Council would approve the proposal brought forward by the EC, including tighter monitor on socio-economic impact assessments.
Gepty said the Philippines was keen on its reapplication for the new EU GSP+, not only to maintain its comparative advantage in the EU market, but also to boost exports and encourage more investments in the country.
“This is especially true when the Philippines is the only ASEAN member state enjoying such privilege in the region. With Philippines free trade agreement network and GSP+ advantage, it can well position itself as a manufacturing hub in the region,” he said.
Beneficiaries of the GSP+ arrangement would be given a two-year transition period to meet the additional requirements and reapply to the GSP+ scheme until Dec. 31, 2025. They will continue to benefit from GSP+ preferences throughout the application process.