The EU and the Philippines: Partners in a more uncertain world

The world is less predictable than it was only a few years ago. Rules that once held are now questioned, and power is used to test their limits. In such an environment, predictability has become a strength, and reliable partners are worth more than ever.

On July 24, 2026, in Manila, the European Union and the Philippines confirmed such a choice. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro signed a joint statement elevating our relations to an Enhanced Partnership. This is about the commitment by both sides to work more closely, more ambitiously, on issues that will shape the years ahead, also reflecting how far this relationship has already come.

Our cooperation rests on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, in force since 2018, and on shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. What the Enhanced Partnership adds is breadth and intent. It commits us to consult regularly at the political level and to stand together for the rules-based international order. It carries that commitment into practical work across peace, security and defense; the rule of law, good governance and human rights; economic, trade and investment cooperation; the clean transition; the environment, energy, climate change and disaster management; the blue economy and ocean conservation; digital connectivity, technology and science and the ties between our peoples.

Security and defense sit at the heart of this new phase. During her visit, the High Representative announced the first-ever assistance measure for the Philippines under the European Peace Facility, adopted by the Council of the European Union on her proposal and welcomed by Philippine Secretary of Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Worth 15 million euros, it is the first such measure anywhere in the Indo-Pacific. It will strengthen the maritime domain awareness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, improving the Philippine Navy’s ability to monitor the country’s maritime zones, to give earlier warning for threats and incidents and to coordinate its response. It is, above all, an investment in trust.

This progress did not appear overnight. It builds on the EU-Philippines Security and Defense Dialogue, launched in June 2025 and first convened in Brussels last November, with a second meeting expected to take place in Manila later this year. Through it we have advanced practical cooperation on maritime security, cybersecurity, hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference. A dialogue of this kind lets partners consult and coordinate.

This cooperation comes at a significant moment for the Philippines, which holds the ASEAN Chairship this year and is exercising it with a clear commitment to multilateralism, the UN Charter and the rule of law. We recognize, too, its consistent support for relevant UN resolutions, including on Ukraine. In defending a rules-based order, consistency is what gives principle its force.

That order is nowhere more tested than at sea, and here the European Union’s position is clear and unchanged. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea governs maritime entitlements, and the 2016 Arbitral Award is final and legally binding upon the parties to the proceedings. All tensions and disputes must be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means, in accordance with international law, with the Charter of the United Nations and UNCLOS at its core. This is also what EU High Representative Kallas stated on the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award between the Philippines and China, on behalf of and with the support of all the 27 member-states of the European Union, with which several additional European countries also aligned.

A partnership like this rests on more than shared interests. It rests on shared values. The European Union and the Philippines are committed to democratic principles, the rule of law and the protection of human rights, including media freedom, civic space and the safety of those who defend rights, from journalists to trade unionists, environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and to holding violations and abuses to account.

Security today also means economic security – strengthening resilience, diversifying supply chains and building reliable economic partnerships. Our trade and investment ties are already substantial, and there remains considerable untapped potential. We therefore look forward to the successful conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement, which will help unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors on both sides and further deepen our economic partnership.

Under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, we are working to attract quality investment to ensure our businesses can benefit from the economic opportunities our markets provide, and to integrate the Philippine economy into the region, connect it with the EU and the world and support sustainable development in the Philippines. That investment is built to last, and nowhere is the need for it clearer than here. Few countries feel the climate crisis as directly as the Philippines. Together we are supporting the clean energy transition and a circular economy that cuts plastic waste. We are also investing in preparedness. The EU’s Copernicus program has a second home in the Philippines with the first Copernicus data center in Asia. Our EU Earth observation data is helping the Philippines map hazards, sharpen early warning and respond faster when storms and floods strike. In a country that meets the weather at its most extreme, this cooperation saves lives. Preparedness is increasingly digital, too. We are working together on secure and resilient connectivity, the expansion of 5G and trusted technology, from data infrastructure to artificial intelligence.

In the end, this partnership is about people. We will bring our two peoples closer together, through Erasmus+, more chances to study, teach and train, closer links between our universities and cultural and parliamentary exchanges.

No country, however capable, can meet today’s challenges alone. Security, stability and a rules-based order are not given. They are built and defended together. That is the deeper meaning of the Enhanced Partnership, and it is why the European Union intends to remain a reliable, long-term partner of the Philippines.

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Massimo Santoro is the Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines.