France reaffirms backing EU-PH FTA
The Manila Times - 13 April 2025
France reaffirms backing EU-PH FTA
Visiting Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Laurent Saint-Martin has reaffirmed the support of France to pursue the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Philippines (EU-PH FTA) during his official visit to the Philippines.
Speaking at a press conference at the residence of the French ambassador to the Philippines in Makati on Friday, Saint-Martin underscored the urgency of strengthening trade partnerships based on rules-based systems, especially in light of current global uncertainty.
He said the EU-PH FTA is becoming more significant amid increasing global trade tensions and protectionist policies such as the recent imposition of reciprocal tariffs by the United States.
"This is very important in this global context to repeat that we do believe in FTAs, and that I hope that the European Commission (EC) and the Philippines will be able in the coming months, coming years, to have this agreement to make our cross-trade bigger and to permit us to grow together," Saint-Martin said.
The minister added that the French government and the EC support trade policies that prioritize cooperation.
"We have to convince that the trade war is negative for everyone," he said.
Saint-Martin also highlighted the potential of the Philippines, noting the country’s strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth and its rising importance in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Because in all Indo-Pacific zones, the Philippines, in terms of GDP growth, in terms of population, in terms of potential, is becoming more and more important every year," he said.
Asked about the timeline for the EU-PH FTA, Saint-Martin clarified that while EC is negotiating over the trade deal, discussions are "on track."
"But I’m pretty confident that the European Commission will find a way to have this agreement with the Philippines in the coming months, coming years, because we have to. We have to because we do believe in cross-trade, as I said, and we believe it’s the best way to react to what’s happening in the world with the tariff situation," he said.
"The best way is to find agreements between countries that don’t want any trade war," the official added.
The event also saw the Philippines and France signing several agreements.
One of the deals was the joint declaration between Saint-Martin and Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, which aims to advance the partnership between Manila and Paris in supporting the Philippines’ rail and maritime capacity.
"We have a big demand here in the Philippines, and we match, meaning that we can have a lot of French companies that can answer and that can be prepared to offer some response to Filipino demand," Saint-Martin said.
Another was a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Transportation and French company Hydrogène de France for decarbonization efforts in maritime transportation.
In the air transport sector, two partnerships were entered — one between Air France and Cebu Pacific, and another between France’s Ascendance Flight Technologies and the Philippines’ PhilJets Aero Charter Corp.
In a chance interview, Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer Alexander Lao said the company has selected Air France as partner for its Component Support Program for A320/A321 aircraft.
Lao said the deal is also an extension of its partnership with the French company for the past eight years.
Lastly, the French Development Agency and the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development are extending a 1-million-euro grant to the Philippines to implement research on climate-resilient agriculture and support for geographical indications, through the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
