We feel you on colonialism, EU tells Yasay

The European Union ambassador to the Philippines said most nations in Europe are aware of colonialism, which was the theme of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay’s speech marking the 71st anniversary of the United Nations earlier this week.

In a Facebook post of the EU delegation on Friday, Ambassador Franz Jessen said Yasay’s speech “contained many clear messages and views, making it very interesting.”

“In the EU, we have member states that were colonial powers, member states that were colonized, and some that were neither, so this is an issue we know from many perspectives,” Jessen said.

“The EU is in a sense a construction seeking to move beyond domination, it aims to secure that all member states have their voice and that it is being heard when decisions are taken at the EU level,” Jessen added.

In his speech, Yasay said that the Philippines “continues to grapple with essentially the same serious problems of inequality, poverty and social unrest from our colonial past.”