Dear Secretary Manalo, dear Enrique,

It is truly a pleasure to be here and thank you for the productive discussion we had today. So, the European Union's relationship with Philippines is already on a positive trajectory. 

Today we take it to another level. First of all, we share a commitment to upholding the rules-based international order, to promoting peace and stability and to addressing common challenges together. These include the developments in the South China Sea and Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.

Today, we announce the establishment of new EU-Philippines security and defence dialogue. This will be a dedicated platform through which we can deepen our cooperation, exchange expertise on security and defence and explore joint initiatives that contribute to the regional as well as global security. Our work will be comprehensive and will include maritime security, cyber security, foreign information manipulation and interference, counterterrorism, crisis response and more. But our partnership and dialogue go beyond security and defence. We are already enhancing our cooperation in digital connectivity, people to people contacts, green economy, and we will move forward with the next rounds of negotiations of a free trade agreement.

The European Union is a firm believer in multilateralism, and it is also a committed partner to ASEAN and regional cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. We look forward to working closely with Philippines, as you are the chair of ASEAN in 2026.

Today, Secretary Manalo and I also discussed the recent midterm elections in the country, and I underlined our regret about the restrictions to the access of our electoral observation mission despite arrangements prior to the deployment.

Last, but definitely not least, as we all know very well, peace and security and stability are fundamental. This is why the European Union is committed to supporting the peace process in Mindanao and we also contribute to the humanitarian work on the ground.

In today's complex and contested geostrategic environment, it is more important than ever to build strong partnerships. The European Union is a reliable, predictable, credible, and ambitious partner to the Philippines, and we see strong potential to deepen our cooperation even further. 

So, thank you again for welcoming us.

Q&A

Q. Following your frank and candid remarks at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue, which included, among others, you saying that the growing alliance between China and Russia is an emerging global threat. What is the EU's red line when it comes to Chinese aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically on Taiwan and the South China Sea, and how would the EU respond? And what sort of security partnership do you envision for the EU and the Philippines? Would the EU, for example, help with defence modernisation or deploying assets and troops to the Philippines or participate in exercises? If I may add one question, since we are talking about red lines, the EU has said that the red line in Gaza has been the blockade by Israel on humanitarian assistance for those suffering in Gaza. At what point will the EU pressure Germany and Italy to stop sending weapons to Israel?

Thank you. First, I will say that European Union is a firm believer in international law – and even in international law we have agreed certain principles. We have UNCLOS, we have the maritime security arrangements and routes there. So, we reject any unilateral changes to the status quo, including use of coercion. And, of course, we are supporting all the partners who are believers of international law, and we are willing to defend the law as well, because if you do not defend the law, then the situation in the world and global sphere would be much, much different.

On the humanitarian assistance, we have been very firm on this. It is the humanitarian aid that we are giving to Gaza that is also blocked now and we are in contact with our counterparts in Israel to unblock this and to help the people, because it is funded by the European Union mostly in very large part. The loss of life is untenable. The suffering of the people has to end, and we need to do everything in our power and to put the pressure there. We have on the European level agreed on many principles, including support for the Two-State solution, end of the hostilities, immediate ceasefire and release of hostages, and we are trying to push the parties into that agreement. 

Thank you.