The European Union and the Philippines have agreed to elevate their ties to an Enhanced Partnership, formalised in Manila on 24 July 2026, according to an op-ed by EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro signed a joint statement setting out the upgraded relationship, Santoro wrote in the article published on Thursday by The Philippine Star, and cited by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The cooperation is based on the EU–Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which has been in force since 2018.
The Enhanced Partnership includes plans for more regular political consultations and work across areas listed in the joint statement, including peace and security, governance and human rights, trade and investment, climate and disaster management, digital connectivity, science and people-to-people links, the EU envoy said.
The EU also announced a €15 million assistance measure for the Philippines under the European Peace Facility during Kallas’s visit, which Santoro described as the first such measure for the Philippines and the first in the Indo-Pacific.
The funding is intended to strengthen the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ maritime domain awareness — the ability to monitor maritime areas and detect and respond to incidents — he said.
Maritime tensions and regional security
The assistance package was adopted by the Council of the European Union following a proposal by Kallas and was welcomed by Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr, Santoro wrote.
It is meant to improve the Philippine Navy’s ability to monitor the country’s maritime zones, provide earlier warning of threats and incidents, and co-ordinate responses, he added.
The EU–Philippines Security and Defence Dialogue, launched in June 2025, held its first meeting in Brussels in November 2025, and a second meeting is expected in Manila later this year, according to Santoro.
Topics covered through the dialogue include maritime security, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, and foreign information manipulation and interference, he said.
On the South China Sea, the EU position is that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea governs maritime entitlements and that the 2016 arbitral award in the Philippines–China case is “final and legally binding” on the parties to the proceedings, Santoro wrote.
Kallas reiterated that position on the 10th anniversary of the ruling on behalf of all 27 EU member states, with several additional European countries also aligning, he added.
Santoro also wrote that both sides are committed to democratic principles, the rule of law and human rights, including media freedom and civic space.
He said the EU and the Philippines also want to deepen trade and investment ties and look towards concluding a Free Trade Agreement.
The EU is also working with the Philippines under its Global Gateway strategy to attract investment, and is supporting work on clean energy and efforts to reduce plastic waste, Santoro said.
He added that the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme has established its first data centre in Asia in the Philippines, providing satellite data used for hazard mapping, early warning and disaster response.
People-to-people initiatives listed include Erasmus+, links between universities, and cultural and parliamentary exchanges, Santoro wrote.
