PRINTO

HRVP Kallas at ASEAN Regional Forum: Advancing EU-ASEAN Engagement and an Enhanced Partnership with the Philippines

The High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas travelled to Manila this week to represent the European Union at the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial and other ASEAN-related events, and to participate in commemorations marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). 

HRVP with posing with a line of VIP delegates on stage at a conference.
© European Union, 2026

The visit also included bilateral meetings in the Philippines, where both sides announced an Enhanced Partnership and discussed a new European Peace Facility assistance measure for the EU and the Philippines to deepen security and defence cooperation.

“The EU-ASEAN partnership is one of choice, rooted in mutual respect and long-term commitment. The question is not whether we should cooperate. It is whether we can do so fast enough to stay ahead of the next shock. This is not about choosing sides but about building opportunities together,” the HRVP highlighted.

The ARF Ministerial remains the Indo-Pacific's broadest platform for security dialogue, bringing together ASEAN's eleven member states with major powers. At the Post-Ministerial Conference between ASEAN and the EU, held alongside the ARF, the EU reaffirmed its support for a rules-based international order, discussed maritime security cooperation, and engaged ASEAN partners on regional issues, including the situation in Myanmar.

The visit coincided with a High-Level Conference marking the TAC's 50th anniversary, at which the HRVP co-chaired a side-event with Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono on mediation and peacebuilding. Signed in 1976, the TAC underpins ASEAN's founding principles of mutual respect, non-interference, and peaceful dispute settlement, and remains the broadest security framework in the Indo-Pacific, with 65 signatories as of late July, including five new EU member states. The EU has been a High Contracting Party to the TAC since 2012, and its participation in the anniversary conference reflects its long-standing commitment to ASEAN centrality and the rules-based order.

Enhanced Partnership with the Philippines

During bilateral meetings with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Foreign Secretary Tessa Lazaro, and Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., the HRVP announced an Enhanced Partnership with the Philippines, covering cooperation on trade, security, climate action, and digital connectivity.

The EU also confirmed a €15 million European Peace Facility (EPF) assistance measure - its first in the Philippines - to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines in strengthening maritime domain awareness, including through coastal radar, electro-optical sensors, and electronic support measures. The measure will contribute to regional stability and responds to the Philippines' continuing shift toward external defence priorities amid tensions in the South China Sea.

Discussions with Defence Secretary Teodoro covered cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and crisis response cooperation, building on the inaugural EU-Philippines Security and Defence Dialogue held in Brussels in November 2025. On trade, the EU highlighted progress in ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations, which could reinforce a bilateral trading relationship currently valued at €17.6 billion and expand Global Gateway-backed investment supporting the Philippines' green transition.

The HRVP also opened the inaugural Kyiv-Manila dialogue with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha, with both the EU and the Philippines underlining their support for Ukraine.