Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said Monday the Philippines is keen on pursuing the resumption of negotiations on the Philippines-EU Free Trade Agreement.
Pascual said in a meeting with members of the European Union-ASEAN Business Council at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City that a successful negotiation of the FTA would help the Philippines secure additional duty-free market access beyond those covered by the EU GSP+ scheme and provide a conducive framework for attracting greater investments from the EU.
“I’d like to reemphasize our growth strategy centered around enhancing trade and investment. Our objective is to foster job creation and poverty reduction by uplifting the global position of our export sectors and driving investments into strategic areas,” Pascual said.
He said an FTA with the EU would put the Philippines at par with other ASEAN countries who were aggressively pursuing FTAs with the EU. The Philippines is also pursuing the re-authorization of the EU GSP+ that is set to expire by end-2023.