“Cooperation between the European Union and the Philippines can be highlighted in three areas: exchanges on policy formulations, development cooperation and private sector contribution,” EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux said in his speech during the Energy Smart Philippines 2015 event in Pasay City.

“Energy is now one of the priority areas for our partnership in the next six years,” Mr. Ledoux added.

The EU ambassador said there are certain accomplishments that came as a result of exchanges between the two parties, including the formulation of policies on energy efficiency and technical assistance for some aspects of the country’s renewable energy policies.

He also noted that the EU’s commitment to provide a P12-billion funding to the Philippines’ energy sector until 2020 manifests development cooperation.

“Our first program with DoE (Department of Energy) and energy agencies is currently being finalized,” he said, noting this will involve an initial P3-billion grant that will be signed this year.

“The program will provide support to DoE for policy reforms and will help the government in reaching its 90% electrification target,” Mr. Ledoux said.

The official said some 4 million households in the Philippines still don’t have access to electricity.

According to him, many European companies maintain various electricity systems of some industries in the Philippines, which indicates “the European private sector is at the heart of the energy sector in the Philippines.”

The Philippines and the EU forged a joint partnership and cooperation agreement in July 2012, with primary focus on issues in energy supply and climate change.

“Through our partnership agreement, we committed to stronger engagement in energy and climate change,” said Mr. Ledoux.

These sentiments were echoed by Michael Raeuber, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

“It is important to note that the EU and the Philippines consider energy as an important sector that can provide opportunities for cooperation, experience sharing and technology transfer between the two parties,” Mr. Raeuber said.

He added that, over the last two years, the annual EU-Philippines Meeting on Energy has provided a platform for a bilateral exchange on views between policy makers and EU member states.

Mr. Raeuber said the two-day Energy Smart Philippines 2015 aims to increase awareness among stakeholders on energy issues and business opportunities in the country.

“We are providing the opportunity to organizations across sectors to present their solutions in addressing the energy problem,” he said.

“By implementing together these various solutions, we are hoping that we can contribute to making positive changes in the energy situation of the country and make the economy more competitive,” he added.

Source: Business World Online