Free trade talks to resume

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, gestures beside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines on, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

THE European Union and the Philippines will restart negotiations on a free-trade agreement as they seek to accelerate “a new era of cooperation”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Talks began in 2015 under then-Philippine president Benigno Aquino but stalled two years later under his successor Rodrigo Duterte, whose deadly drug war strained diplomatic relations with the West and sparked an international probe.