The European Union (EU) has finally decided to continue to recognize Philippine seafarer certificates, allowing Filipino nationals to continue working on EU-flagged ships.
Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, praised Manila's "constructive cooperation" with the EU and praised Philippine efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, first informed the Philippines in December 2021 that recognition of its seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious steps were taken, including compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
Also, Vălean stated that the EU would provide additional technical assistance to Manila to improve the implementation and oversight of minimum education, training, and certification requirements.
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) conducted several inspections in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017, with the most recent one in March 2020 serving as the basis for the bloc's 2021 notification.
At the time, the Philippines was required to submit a formal response within two months, which would be evaluated by the EC with assistance from EMSA.
Meanwhile, the Marcos administration vowed to "strictly comply" with the EMSA standards in three months and ordered the formation of an advisory board to address inconsistencies discovered by the bloc, during the sidelines of the EU-ASEAN summit in December 2022,
