A delegation of senators visited Spain during the celebration of the 75th year of the Philippines-European Union's diplomatic relations.
The country's official inter-parliamentary visit was led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday. He was accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva and Senators Joseph Victor "JV" Estrada, Sonny Angara, Pia Cayetano, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Mark Villar, along with Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe Lhuillier.
The Philippine senators met their counterparts and discussed the enhanced trade between the Philippines and the EU.
During the commemoration of the Phl-EU ties, Zubiri urged their counterparts to build stronger partnerships and solid relationships anchored in history.
"Let us build on 500 years of friendship and history. The foundations of our friendship are anchored on our shared history, our shared culture, and our shared Catholic faith. Though we are proud to be our own independent Republic, we are also grateful for our heritage and our Hispanidad," Zubiri told their counterparts in a meeting.
In a statement Tuesday, Zubiri said he met with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Rollán, and Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Miguel Utray.
During their meeting, Zubiri said he sought the assistance of Rollán as the Philippines is targeting to develop a free trade agreement with the EU.
Rollán, in response, expressed his willingness to help the Philippines in crafting the pact saying that "Spain is well-positioned to offer support in the post-pandemic period as the head of the EU."
"Spain's doors are always open for the Philippines. The visit is a welcome opportunity to reinforce the already excellent relations between the Philippines and Spain," he added.
Spain currently leads the EU for the extension of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+), which allows about 6,000 Filipino products to enter the EU duty-free.
EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron previously said that the EU is considering the resumption of FTA talks with a Southeast Asian country "which could be Malaysia, Thailand, or the Philippines."