LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — The European Union (EU) is hoping to complete negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines as early as this month, especially with only a few chapters left to be finalized.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro said he is optimistic that the next round of FTA talks would be the last, given the rapid pace of negotiations so far.

“The five rounds so far were very intense and very good in terms of result. In case this round’s keep the same substance, same speed, and the same concreteness, I would not be surprised if this would be the last one,” he said in a chance interview during the 2026 ASEAN-EU Sustainability Forum here.

The sixth round of negotiations between the EU and the Philippines will be held in Manila from May 18 to 22.

Santoro said this upcoming round of talks will largely focus on government procurement and agricultural trade.

In terms of agriculture, he said both sides intend to keep current trade restrictions, such as tariffs on certain goods, to safeguard domestic production.

Still, he said this is unlikely to slow down negotiations since these hurdles are essentially complementary, as the majority of goods protected by such measures are not locally produced.

Santoro said the next round could also involve additional discussions on energy security and renewable energy, especially against the backdrop of an ongoing oil crisis caused by supply disruptions in the Middle East.

“All of these, combined with good investors' attention to the country, cannot but benefit both the Philippines and the European Union,” he said.

Once all chapters of the FTA have been agreed upon, Santoro said they will move on to fine-tuning the agreement to prepare for its eventual signing and entry into force, which is expected to take place next year.

Last year, Santoro said the EU is hoping that the FTA could enter into force before December 2027, or before the Philippines’ eligibility for the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) expires.

Under GSP+, the Philippines benefits from tariff-free access for the shipment of more than 6,000 products to the 27-member bloc.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go said the government aims to sign the FTA with the EU in the third quarter, aligned with the target date previously set by trade officials.

“Our direction is to keep Philippine trade booming and going, so we are keeping Philippine trade policy open, relevant, and future-oriented,” he said at the forum.

Meanwhile, Santoro said the EU may consider a regional FTA with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) once bilateral trade deals with the bloc’s members are already in force.

“Once we have a good number of FTAs bilaterally done, and in force with various ASEAN partners, we could then think whether there will be value-added in having a region-to-region agreement,” he said.