MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday received a commitment of cooperation from European Council President Charles Michel in a wide range of areas, including trade and climate change mitigation.

This comes after the two leaders met at the Europa Building, the seat of the European Council and the Council of the European Union, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (ASEAN-EU) Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

In their meeting, President Marcos emphasized the vital role of ASEAN countries in the world economy, “as shown clearly by their growth with systems already in place.”

ASEAN has increased its presence on the global stage through its efforts on regional economic integration and supply chain resilience, according to President Marcos.

The chief executive also got an added boost of support in the country’s bid to address issues in the Philippines’ seafaring industry, which is one of the top agenda of the Philippine leader’s visit to Brussels.

The President said the country “will kick the can on the road” in order to prevent at least 50,000 Filipino seafarers employed by Europe-based shipping companies from losing their jobs.

The country has been flagged by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for deficiencies in seafarer training and education and risks being banned if they are not immediately addressed.

In response, the chief executive ordered the creation of an advisory board to address deficiencies identified by EMSA in the Philippine seafarers’ education, training, and certification system.

Meanwhile, the European Council chief agreed with President Marcos on the need to operationalize the green fund on climate change and the damage and loss policy.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was designated as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The GCF aims to encourage the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development by providing support to developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) while at the same time adapting to the effects of climate change,

“We couldn’t agree with you more,” Michel told President Marcos, referring to the Filipino leader’s pitch at the ASEAN-EU working luncheon for more concrete funding guidelines on mitigating climate change damage and loss.

Michel also said the EU is ready to work with the Philippines and ASEAN on climate change, particularly on the transfer of green technology, which involves improving resilience to climate change and reducing GHGs.

In his participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, last month, President Marcos said the Philippines had prioritized renewable energy options such as hydropower, geothermal power, solar, and other low-emission energy sources. (PND)