Wednesday, February 14, 2007 RP exporters get EC technical aid
THE delegation of the European Commission (EC) to the Philippines and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) launched last month the second component of a program that aims to help Philippine food exporters meet international product standards.
The second component of the Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) program, called “Sanitary and Phy-tosanitary Measures (SPS),” involves the strengthening of inspections and enforcement measures through training and assessment.
The project also aims to upgrade the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) laboratories and develop a risk assessment and management system in selected government agencies.
The SPS is projected to cost P64.4 million.
Dr. Len Woods, international SPS regulatory advisor, said that unless Philippine food exporters will improve sanitation of establishments and follow European Union (EU) rules and regulations, the 27 EU member states will be reluctant to buy their (local exporters) products.
TRTA information Officer Antonio Esguerra II said EU consumers have become even more sophisticated through the years, prompting authorities to implement more complex and stringent technical requirements for imported products.
Obstacles
He said the SPS component hopes to address the obstacles that hinder some Filipino agri-business from penetrating the European market.
The Philippines’ aquaculture exports faced setbacks in 2003 and 2004 after EU imposed a temporary ban on the country’s products due to insufficient guarantees and untimely information presented by local authorities in their residues monitoring plan, particularly on contaminants and harmful substances in aquaculture products.
Brenda Mendoza of Neda, who is also the TRTA program director, said the TRTA program is part of the EU commitment under the Doha Development Agenda.
She said that its overall objective is to assist the Philippines in building an enabling business environment and improve economic governance, with the aim of significantly enhancing trade and investment with the EU.
Mendoza said the program hopes to enhance the knowledge of key public and private operators of international trade rules and EC regulations, particularly on technical barriers to trade, as well as sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures.
The TRTA also aims to increase the confidence of EU authorities and importers with the quality and safety of Philippine exports through upgraded regulatory frameworks of technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, and improved conformity assessments and knowledge of enforcement measures.
Mendoza said the program also aims to improve the access of Philippine exports to EU and speed up Bureau of Customs (BOC) clearance of legitimate imports to the Philippines.
The SPS is being implemented by BFAR and Philippine Coconut Authority. Its other components are: technical barriers to trade; trade facilitation and customs; and World Trade Organization capacity building. (EOB)
