The president of the European Commission, a body that shapes the European Union's (EU's) overall strategy, is set to visit the Philippines next week, as the regional bloc promotes its strategic ties with the countries in the Indo-Pacific.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will be in the country from July 31 to August 1 upon the invitation of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who she met during the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in December 2022 in Brussels.
She is the first European Commission president to make an official visit to the Philippines in almost six decades of Manila's diplomatic relations with the 27-member EU.
Photo courtesy of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's Twitter page
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 be meeting 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 event 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. Currently, 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.
Photo courtesy of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's Twitter page
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 be meeting 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 event 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. Currently, 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.