菲律宾PEZA接待欧盟贸易团：PH-EU自贸协定推进与投资合规指南

Pasay City — Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Tereso O. Panga expressed confidence that more investors from the European Union are expected to expand and establish operations in the Philippines once the Philippines European Union Free Trade Agreement (PH–EU FTA) is finalized. This comes as PEZA welcomed the delegation of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (EU-INTA) at the PEZA Head Office last 17 February 2026 as part of its trade mission to the Philippines in commitment to advancing the PH-EU FTA. PEZA received the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (EU-INTA) delegation during its trade mission to the Philippines In coordination with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Brussels, DG Panga and his team hosted the 16-member EU delegation headed by H.E Massimo Santoro, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines, and Hon. Bernd Lange, the Chair of the INTA Committee and Head of the Delegation from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (Germany). The delegation comprised other Members of the European Parliament, including rapporteurs representing EU countries such as Sweden, Romania, Latvia, Spain, Lithuania and Belgium. DG Panga delivering his presentation to the EU Officials and Delegates During the visit, DG Panga provided a briefing to the EU officials on the Philippines’ investment environment, reform development, strategic advantages of locating within PEZA ecozones, and PEZA’s role in supporting export-led and industrial growth. He underscored the Philippines’ positioning as a competitive EU partner in Southeast Asia, citing strong services-sector growth, a deepening electronics and manufacturing base, and ongoing infrastructure modernization as key drivers of medium-term expansion. The Director General further outlined priority sectors where European capabilities align closely with Philippine and ASEAN growth trends for 2026–2030, including electronics manufacturing and supply chain services, logistics and infrastructure digitalization, and renewable energy development focused on grid resilience and energy storage. “What is more encouraging is that even up to 2027, the S&P Global still projected the Philippines as the second -fastest growing economy in Asia pacific… backed by a think tank report that says we can benefit more with EU cooperation with their best fits to the Philippines particularly in Electronics manufacturing, EMS, and supply chain services, infrastructure, ports, logistics digitalization, and renewable energy development. This is a meaningful signal for 2026–2030 planning, as we in PEZA are diversifying our supply chain to strengthen our resilience and stability especially in an increasingly uncertain global environment.” DG Panga noted. In the open forum session, members of the delegation raised questions on the specific conditions governing importation within PEZA ecozones, the differentiation of incentives between investments located inside and outside the Philippines and the European Union, and the eligibility criteria for MSMEs. Other members focused more on the PEZA programs for attracting EU trade and investments, ease of doing business measures as well as digitalization and sustainability initiatives. The Romanian representative asked PEZA could share their country the Philippine ecozone development strategy and digitalization initiatives, while the Belgian representative inquired about PEZA’s reverse trade program as a tool for integrating MSMEs into the ecozone value chain. It is worth mentioning that in the past, PEZA was engaged by the World Bank to share its ecozone development strategy to Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, and Bangladesh to help them design their own special economic zone frameworks, attract foreign direct investments, generate employment, and accelerate export-led industrial growth. H.E. Massimo Santoro, EU Ambassador to the Philippines (left) and Hon. Bernd Lange, Chair of the INTA Committee and Chair of the Delegation (right) Ambassador Santoro and INTA Chair Hon. Lange expressed their strong optimism about the direction of EU–Philippines relations, emphasizing a shared commitment to advancing a more comprehensive, transparent, and policy-based trade framework. Moreover, the officials underscored the importance of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) as a cornerstone of current economic engagement, noting that ongoing discussions with the Philippines are aimed at gauging the “temperature” of its business environment—assessing policy stability, regulatory transparency, and competitive fairness as these factors are crucial to ensuring a smooth transition toward a comprehensive trade partnership between the European Union and the Philippines. Managing Transition From GSP+ to FTA Notably, the Philippines is the only ASEAN member state with active EU GSP+ status since 2014, allowing duty-free entry for over 6,000 products. The EU–Philippines trade relationship is currently anchored on the GSP+, which supported €2.2 billion in Philippine exports in 2024 and enabled stronger MSME participation in European value chains. Total bilateral trade reached €16.8 billion, underscoring the EU’s importance as a trade and investment partner. However, with GSP+ set to expire in 2027, both sides recognize the urgency of concluding the PH–EU FTA to avoid trade disruptions and secure long-term market access. DTI Secretary and PEZA Board Chair Cristina Roque, who is leading the negotiation with EU, estimates that a successful FTA could unlock up to US$12 billion in additional export potential, particularly by addressing compliance challenges and improving awareness of EU market opportunities. EU INTA delegation visit at the PEZA Head Office PEZA Outlook: Unlocking the Next Phase of Growth As both sides move closer to concluding the PH–EU FTA negotiations, PEZA remains committed in translating economic cooperation into measurable outcomes. To date, PEZA hosts over 190 locator companies with EU equity, reaching more than PhP400 billion of cumulative European investments and supporting over 430,000 Filipino jobs nationwide. PEZA top investors by nationality since 1995 include EU member states’ Netherlands (10.28%) and Germany (1.44%). PEZA remains focused on empowering inclusive participation in global value chains, including the integration of domestic suppliers and MSMEs into export-oriented ecosystems within its economic zones. Equally important, the European Union Global Gateway’s support to the Philippines’ green and digital transition strongly aligns and reinforces PEZA’s mission of inclusive and sustainable export-driven industrial development. This convergence is further strengthened by the EU’s commendation of PEZA’s roadmap toward full systems automation across its ecozones, a reform that advances the government’s anti-corruption and anti-red tape agenda while ensuring that EU–Philippines economic cooperation delivers tangible, transparent, and long-term growth. "We are confident that the finalization of the Philippines–EU FTA will open new opportunities, attracting more European investors to expand and establish operations in the Philippines, create more jobs for Filipinos, boost economic growth, and further strengthen our position as a key investment hub," expressed DG Panga. ###