THE president of the European Commission which is part of the European Union’s (EU) executive arm, is expected to visit the Philippines next week as the regional bloc seeks to promote its strategic ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will be in Manila from July 31 to August 1 upon the invitation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who she met during the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit last December in Brussels.
Von der Leyen becomes the first European Commission president to make an official visit to the Philippines since Manila established diplomatic relations with the 27-member EU.
The communication team of the EU in the Philippines made the announcement, adding that her visit “aims to give a new impetus to the EU-Philippines bilateral relations and engage in discussions on matters of mutual interest,” such as trade, green and digital transition and security.
Von der Leyen will meet Marcos during her trip to Manila to discuss trade, investment and Global Gateway cooperation, among other issues.
The Global Gateway Strategy is EU’s initiative to address partner countries’ infrastructure needs while also addressing the most pressing global challenges, such as climate change, health systems and global supply chains’ competitiveness and security.
Von der Leyen will also speak at a high-level business meeting organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) in partnership with the Makati Business Club (MBC), the EU’s communication team added.
In 2012, the Philippines and the EU signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which was ratified by all parties. The
agreement provides a framework to enable both sides to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly on political, social and economic
matters, as well as human rights.
At present, the EU is also stepping up its strategic engagement with the broader Indo-Pacific due to what it believed as the region’s
growing economic, demographic and political weight, which can help shape the rules-based international order and address global
challenges.
The Presidential Communication Office (PCO), in a statement, said Von der Leyen’s visit will be the first in nearly 60 years of diplomatic
ties between the Philippines and the EU.
“Philippines-EU bilateral relations have enjoyed a strong positive momentum over the past year. President von der Leyen’s visit is hoped
to bring the Philippines and the EU even closer, as both countries step up cooperation activities in trade, economic cooperation,
development cooperation, maritime cooperation, climate and environment, space cooperation, and digital connectivity, among other
sectors,” the PCO said.