The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is ramping up its efforts to attract strategic foreign direct investments (FDIs) from the European Union, with a recent mission to Poland unlocking high-value leads in green technology, data infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.
Backed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the investment mission was carried out in coordination with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), the Philippine Embassy in Poland, and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Berlin.
Held amid ongoing negotiations for a Philippine-European Union free trade agreement, the week-long mission featured business forums and bilateral meetings in Warsaw and Gdansk and generated promising investor interest, particularly in emerging sectors such as renewable energy-powered data centers and advanced air and water purification systems.
Consortium
One of the key investment prospects involves a consortium of Polish, American and Filipino firms eyeing a €60 million data center project integrated with clean energy and water desalination technologies.
The group is considering Camarines Norte for the pilot site, with potential for further expansion to two other ecozone locations.
Polish start-up
A second lead is comprised of a Polish start-up that has developed a photocatalytic membrane technology — an advanced, filterless system for purifying air and water — currently undergoing pilot testing on a farm in Mindanao. The company is looking to scale manufacturing operations in the Philippines for broader Southeast Asian market access.
The Warsaw forum was opened by Philippine Ambassador to Poland Leah Basinang-Ruiz and attended by representatives from PAIH, PTIC-Berlin, and the Szczecin Honorary Consulate, as well as a delegation of Polish investors.
In Gdansk, PEZA partnered with regional investment bodies such as Invest in Pomerania and the Polish Economic Zone to explore cross-border collaboration and best practice sharing.
Site visits to Intel’s R&D center in Gdansk, the University of Gdansk, and the Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia — operated by Filipino multinational ICTSI — underscored Poland’s growing reputation as an EU tech and logistics hub.