-
The Philippines and the European Union concluded the fifth round of free trade agreement negotiations on March 6, 2026 in Brussels
-
Significant progress made across chapters on biosecurity measures, technical barriers to trade, government procurement, competition, intellectual property, energy and raw materials, state-owned enterprises, and digital trade
-
Market access talks for trade in goods, services, investment, and rules of origin also advanced
-
Philippine chief negotiator undersecretary Allan Gepty cited both teams’ determination to advance PH-EU economic relations
-
DTI secretary Cristina Roque called the planned FTA a major step toward a more open, stable, and predictable business environment aligned with sustainable development and good governance
-
Inter-sessional work to continue ahead of the sixth round, to be hosted by the Philippines in May
The Philippines and the European Union (EU) concluded their fifth round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in Brussels on March 6, 2026, reporting significant progress across various policy chapters and paving the way for what both sides called an accelerating effort toward a comprehensive deal.
Negotiating teams worked through a week of text-based discussions spanning chapters on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade, government procurement, competition, intellectual property, energy and raw materials, state-owned enterprises, and digital trade, among others.
Parallel talks on market access for goods, services, and investment continued alongside product-specific rules of origin discussions.
Philippine chief negotiator Undersecretary Allan Gepty said the round demonstrated the resolve of both delegations to move the partnership forward.
“With the groundwork now well established, the focus will increasingly be on identifying areas of convergence on the few remaining issues,” he said in post on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Bureau of International Trade Relations LinkedIn page.
READ: PH, EU on track to seal free trade pact by 2027
DTI secretary Ma. Cristina Roque framed the agreement in broader strategic terms, directly linking it to the Marcos administration’s trade diversification agenda.
“The PH-EU FTA will be a major step in the country’s trade policy towards a more open, stable and predictable business environment aligned with sustainable development and good governance. This also supports President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s] directive to diversify markets and expand the country’s trade network under a rules-based system,” Roque said.
READ: PH pursues 20 free trade deals to expand export markets
Both sides reaffirmed their shared aim of forging an “ambitious, balanced, and mutually beneficial agreement,” one designed to stimulate economic growth, accelerate trade and investment flows, and bolster resilience across global supply chains.
With the fifth round concluded, negotiators agreed to maintain the pace through inter-sessional work in the coming months.
The sixth round of talks is set to be hosted by the Philippines in May.
READ: PEZA upbeat on more European investors post PH-EU trade deal
