The Philippine government is continually on its mission to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive. This was reaffirmed by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Fred Pascual during the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Luncheon Meeting on 16 February 2023 at the Dusit Thani Manila.
Disclosing the priorities of the DTI during his keynote speech, Secretary Pascual said, “The goal is to grow our economy and develop globally competitive and innovative industries that support inclusive growth and quality of life for all Filipinos.”
He also took the opportunity to advocate the ratification of RCEP: “The drive for immediate ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and other trade agreements is considered vital to expand the country’s market reach and foster globally competitive economic industries. The possible influx of investments that these agreements would bring will also create employment opportunities for Filipinos.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier emphasized RCEP would greatly complement the country’s game-changing economic reforms. Â
Apart from RCEP, Secretary Pascual urged European businesses to support the Philippines’ re-application for the upcoming renewal of the European Union Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU-GSP+).
Backing this up, Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty said, “The EU-GSP+ is very important because it caters to the demands, the needs of our local stakeholders, and even investors who are exporting to the EU market.”
Secretary Pascual further reiterated, “The Philippines counts on European businesses’ continued support for our re-application in the upcoming renewal of the EU-GSP+ scheme and our advocacy to resume the PH-EU FTA negotiations. Your business presence here proves that the Philippines stands on sound economic and social reforms.”
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) is a bilateral foreign chamber that promotes European interests in the Philippines and vice versa. ECCP also organizes business meetings; seminars with resource speakers from the Philippines, Asia, and Europe, which coordinate the position of the business sector; as well as dialogues with the Philippine government officials on important economic issues affecting the Philippine-European business relations.
