-
The Philippines and United Arab Emirates will sign today a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, expanding the country’s market access in the Middle East
-
The CEPA is the Philippines’ first free trade agreement in the Middle East
-
It will expand cooperation in trade, services, and investments, while providing the Philippines greater access to the wider Gulf Cooperation Council market
The Philippines and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will sign today, January 13, a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), expanding the country’s market access in the Middle East.
The CEPA – the Philippines’ first free trade agreement with a Middle Eastern country – will be inked during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s one-day working visit to Abu Dhabi on January 13 upon the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahya.
Negotiations for the CEPA began in May 2024 and was concluded in May 2025.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver said the CEPA will expand cooperation in trade, services, and investments, while providing the Philippines greater access to the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market.
The GCC also includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Marcos, in a speech before his departure to the UAE, noted that the Middle East country is home to around 900,000 Filipinos.
“Thus, any mutually beneficial arrangement between our two nations will not only benefit Filipinos at home, but also Filipinos in the UAE,” Marcos said.
UAE data shows it ranks 17th among the Philippine’s trading partners as of 2022 and the top export market within the GCC.
Philippine Statistics Authority data also shows total trade between the two countries reached $1.88 billion in 2023. Philippine exports to the UAE were at $341.97 million, while imports totaled $1.54 billion.
Aside from the CEPA, the Philippines also signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation to establish a robust framework for collaboration in advanced defense technologies.
