The European Commission has decided to continue recognizing certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines, one of the world’s largest maritime labour supply countries. In December 2021, following a detailed assessment of the training and certification system in place, the Commission had informed the Philippines that recognition of their seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious measures were taken, including the compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW). Since then, the Philippines has made serious efforts to comply with the requirements, in particular in key areas like the monitoring, supervision and evaluation of training and assessment. In the coming months, the Commission intends to provide the Philippines with technical assistance to further improve its education, training and certification system for seafarers.
