The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) recently hosted Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director of the European Services Forum (ESF), in Manila for a series of discussions centered on European businesses' perspectives regarding the EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with a special emphasis on the services and investment chapters. The visit included engaging dialogues with Philippe Dupuis, Minister Counsellor and Head of the Economic and Trade Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines; ECCP Board Members; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Atty. Allan B. Gepty, the Philippines' Chief Negotiator for the EU-PH FTA; officials from the Bureau of International Trade Relations and the Board of Investments; as well as meetings with Celeste Ilagan, Chief Operating Officer of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Erik Nielsen, Co-Chair of the ECCP IT-BPM Committee.
These discussions focused on the European businesses' views on enhancing EU-PH trade in services and foreign direct investments (FDIs), addressing key topics such as scheduling methods, the movement of natural persons, FDI regimes, public procurement, customs and trade facilitation, and digital trade. The dialogues underscored the critical need for the EU-PH bilateral trade deal to maximize the potential of trade in services and to attract further investments into the Philippines.
The ECCP remains committed to amplifying these business perspectives, promoting sustainable trade, and positioning the Philippines as a leading destination on the global investment map.
In close partnership with government, businesses, civil society, and academia, ECCP passionately works to enhance the business environment for both European and Filipino companies.