Belgium, the European Union, and the Philippines underscored their growing economic partnership during the First Belgian Business Gala Night in Manila, as officials celebrated 80 years of diplomatic relations and pushed for stronger trade, investment, and business cooperation anchored on the ongoing EU-Philippines free trade agreement negotiations.<\/p>\n
The gala, held under the theme \u201cBuilding Bridges,\u201d gathered diplomats, government officials, business leaders, and trade stakeholders to highlight the expanding economic and cultural ties between Belgium and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Belgian Ambassador Her Excellency Vladislava Iordanova described the event as a historic milestone marking not only eight decades of diplomatic relations but also the launch of the first Belgian Days in Manila in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness partnerships are ultimately built through human connections, collaboration, and shared ambitions,\u201d Iordanova said, emphasizing that diplomacy and economic engagement go hand in hand in strengthening ties between nations.<\/p>\n
The ambassador highlighted the growing Belgian economic presence in the Philippines and welcomed the participation of a multi-sector Belgian trade mission during the gala. She also pointed to the ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union and the Philippines as a key opportunity to deepen economic cooperation further.<\/p>\n
Iordanova likewise acknowledged the collective efforts of \u201cTeam Belgium\u201d \u2014 composed of the Belgian Embassy, trade offices, chambers of commerce, honorary consuls, and private sector partners \u2014 in promoting stronger business and cultural ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro echoed the importance of building stronger economic bridges, saying Belgium, the EU, and the Philippines share a relationship anchored on mutual trust, shared interests, and expanding business collaboration.<\/p>\n
Santoro underscored the broader role of the European Union in supporting the Philippines through foreign direct investments, innovation, sustainability initiatives, and local development programs. He said European companies contribute not only capital investments but also high standards and long-term commitments to inclusive growth.<\/p>\n
A major focus of his remarks was the ongoing EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement negotiations, which he said continue to progress through close cooperation and mutual trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe agreement is expected to create more opportunities for European, Belgian, and Philippine businesses while helping generate jobs and long-term growth,\u201d Santoro said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for International Trade Group Allan B. Gepty emphasized that Philippines-Belgium relations extend beyond commerce and are anchored on shared values supporting open markets and a rules-based global trading system.<\/p>\n
Speaking on behalf of DTI Secretary Cristina Roque, Gepty described Belgium as a stable and dependable Philippine trading partner in Europe and cited opportunities to expand bilateral trade through specialized industrial exports, stronger investment linkages, and deeper integration into European industrial networks.<\/p>\n
Gepty also highlighted the significance of the Philippines-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations, describing the proposed deal as a key pillar toward a more resilient and integrated economic future.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the sixth round of FTA negotiations held in Manila from May 18 to 22 achieved encouraging progress, with the next round scheduled in Brussels from June 29 to July 3.<\/p>\n
According to Gepty, the agreement is expected to provide greater predictability for businesses, stronger confidence for investors, and more opportunities for workers and consumers on both sides.<\/p>\n
The three officials shared a common message that stronger business engagement, sustained dialogue, and collaborative partnerships will play a vital role in shaping the next chapter of Belgium-Philippines and EU-Philippines relations as both sides deepen economic cooperation in the years ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Belgium, the European Union, and the Philippines underscored their growing economic partnership during the First Belgian Business Gala…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[13137,13138,13139,7,13140,13141,13142,13143,4971,13144,13145,12550,181,13146],"class_list":["post-21108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-80-years-of-belgium-philippines-diplomatic-relations","tag-allan-b-gepty","tag-belgian-ambassador","tag-belgium","tag-business-cooperation-eu-philippines-free-trade-agreement-fta","tag-department-of-trade-and-industry-dti","tag-dti-undersecretary-for-international-trade-group","tag-economic-partnership","tag-european-union-eu","tag-european-union-ambassador-to-the-philippines","tag-first-belgian-business-gala-night","tag-massimo-santoro","tag-trade","tag-vladislava-iordanova"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116753270529791750","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}