VP Binay eyes stronger partnership with EU on migration, human rights

Vice President Jejomar Binay said a prospective pact may greatly improve ties between the Philippines and the European Union on issues such as migration, human rights, and trade.    Binay gave an assessment of the prospective EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement after meeting with EU president Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in South Korea. The meeting of the three officials happened at the sidelines of the recent Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul.   Rompuy and Barroso are expected to meet with President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in November 2012 in Vientiane during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 10) Summit.   “Both (the Philippines and EU) took stock of the healthy relationship between the European Union and the Philippines ... The European Union is already a top investor in the Philippines and a major market for its exports and both sides agreed that there is considerable potential to expand economic exchange even further,” Binay said in a news release of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday.   The OVP  said the European Union commended the Philippine government for its commitment to the peace process in Mindanao.   "The European Union reiterated its support for a peaceful resolution of the dispute on the basis of international law in particular the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," the OVP said. - VVP, GMA News