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Free trade agreement between the Philippines and the EU: preferential origin, business opportunities and sustainability
EU Commission on 22 September 2026 annouced that “the EU and the Philippines reached substantial agreement in their negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), envisaged to deepen economic ties between the EU and another strategic, fast-growing partner in Southeast Asia”: the substantial agreement has been reached. Now we are waiting for the ultimate free trade agreement and its bilateral ratification. The key words of this substantial agreement whose negotiations, however, need to be finalized, are: Trade facilitations and preferential origin; Protection of intellectual property rights; Sustainability; Energy and raw materials. To support the economic operators, we would share the main points of the relevant customs rules laid down by…
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New GSP framework, sustainable development and good governance: a check of the principles.
The ProposalCOM(2021)579 will set up a new framework of the European generalized system of preference which is: part of EU common commercial policy (unilateral preferential origin treatment for goods originating from the eligibile countries): sustainable development and good goverance; consistent with with the analysis and perspective of the Commission Communication Trade Policy Review: An Open, Sustainable and Assertive Trade Policy of 18 February 2021; consistent with EU green agenda and UN suistainable goals; The key stone of GSP is the “conditionality”: a country should not benefit from preferential trade arrangements if it is acting in a way that is contrary to international standards and principles and thereby also to its…
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New EU GSP: proposal for postponement to 2027
The current European generalized system of preferences (GSP) should be extended to 2027 according to proposal of regulation of EU Parliament and Council. In particular, this proposal ( 4 July 2023- COM 426 2023/0252 COD ) lays down that: “…the period of application of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 should be extended until 31 December 2027…”; “…If the publication takes place after 31 December 2023, this Regulation shall apply retroactively from 1 January 2024…”; “…in case the Regulation based on Commission Proposal COM(2021)579 becomes applicable before that date, the extension of the period of application of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 should be correspondingly shortened…”. For sake of completness, the Commission Proposal COM(2021)579 provides…