The Philippines and the European Union have concluded negotiations for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), paving the way for the formal signing of the landmark trade pact in Manila.
The milestone was announced Tuesday following high-level talks between Philippine Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič.
“The mutually beneficial agreement should bring tangible benefits, including new opportunities for businesses, more investment and more jobs,” the EU and the Philippines said in a joint statement.
The Philippines is now the third Southeast Asian country, after Singapore and Vietnam, to conclude an FTA with the 27-member European bloc.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the development during a phone call with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The agreement comes three years after the two leaders agreed to revive stalled negotiations during von der Leyen’s 2023 visit to Manila.
Von der Leyen also confirmed that she looks forward to returning to the Philippines in 2027 to sign the agreement.
Roque and Šefčovič said the pact is expected to create opportunities for small and medium enterprises, agricultural producers and manufacturers while strengthening supply chain resilience.
They described the agreement as a forward-looking partnership based on trust and mutual benefit and directed negotiating teams to complete the text at the earliest opportunity.
Negotiations for the comprehensive FTA were launched in December 2015 and formally resumed in March 2024. The agreement covers trade in goods and services, digital trade, government procurement, intellectual property and clean technology transitions.
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations, describing the pact as a significant development for Philippine-European economic ties.
ECCP President Dr. Diana Edralin called the agreement a “world-class framework” and urged lawmakers in Manila and Brussels to expedite the domestic ratification process.
ECCP Executive Director Florian Gottein said the agreement would give Philippine exporters preferential access to a European market of nearly 450 million consumers while supporting long-term supply chain stability.
“European companies gain a robust, stable platform to expand their footprint in the Philippines,” Gottein said, urging policymakers to sustain momentum as the agreement proceeds toward signing and domestic implementation.
According to the European Commission, the EU was the Philippines’ fourth-largest trading partner in 2025, accounting for 8.3 percent of the country’s total trade in goods.
Bilateral trade reached 17.6 billion euros in 2025, with the Philippines recording a 1.7-billion-euro trade surplus.
The Philippine Statistics Authority also reported that Western European countries ranked as the fourth-largest market for Philippine exports as of December 2025.
