French agencies – French Development Agency (AFD) and French Agricultural Research Center of International Development (CIRAD) – have agreed to support the Philippines develop and promote geographical indications (GI), which is crucial in the protection of the country’s GI products under the proposed free trade deal with the European Union.
To firm up this agreement, an exchange of documents between the FAFD) and CIRAD was held on April 11, 2025 and witnessed by visiting French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Laurent Saint-Martin and Bureau of Trademarks Director Jesus Antonio Z. Ros of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
The agreement, which has two components, was aimed at implementing a one million euro grant to support climate-related reforms in the Philippines. The first component was on research on climate-resilient agriculture focusing on strengthening value chains for bananas, mangoes, and aquaculture in the face of climate change.
The second component is to support the Philippines develop and promote GI in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines of the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Agriculture.
French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel noted during the signing ceremony that the agreement is “very important on the way for the negotiation of a free trade agreement with the European Union to enable the protection of geographical indications.”
For his part, Trademarks Director Ros expressed gratitude to the AFD and CIRAD for the support in advancing the use of GI in the country. “GI protection speaks volumes about the distinct quality of a product. This can be a tool to attract more customers, incentivize farmers to increase production of GI-protected goods and make Philippine agriculture competitive,” said Ros.
During his visit, the French Minister spoke favorably for an FTA between the Philippines and the EU amid global turmoil following the imposition of punitive Trump tariffs against various U.S. trading partners, including the Philippines.
”We do believe in cross-trade. We do believe in cross-investment. And this is the first purpose of my visit here in Manila. We are also nowadays in a context where the European Union is working with the Philippines for a future free trade agreement,” said Saint-Martin.
With the recent posturing by the Trump administration in the imposition of new tariffs, the minister cited the need to forge ties with countries that do not want to go into trade war.
France’s interest in the Philippines is also driven by the country’s becoming more important in the Indo-Pacific region in terms of growth, he said.
Government data showed that France ranks as the third-largest importer of Philippine products among EU countries.
Although the Philippines imports more from the US, the local economy is also productive, exporting a range of goods to the US market.
