Affinities and shared challenges

Over the past two years, there have been high-level visits to the Philippines by European leaders.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited in July 2023 to strengthen strategic cooperation and trade relations. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited in August 2024 to discuss defense collaboration, cybersecurity initiatives, and ways to enhance military interoperability. In September 2024, the Stratbase Institute hosted a roundtable discussion as part of the official visit of Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

These visits are backed by concrete defense agreements. In May 2025, Germany and the Philippines signed a defense cooperation agreement to expand collaboration on cybersecurity, military logistics, defense armament, and UN peacekeeping operations. Negotiations are also ongoing for a Visiting Forces Agreement with France.

These steps reflect Europe's growing recognition that its security is inseparable from the Indo-Pacific's. Indeed, both regions share strong security and economic ties, fortified by common challenges and interests.

Beyond security, both Europe and the Indo-Pacific are vital engines of global trade and innovation. The European Union, with its deeply integrated single market of 27 member states, stands as one of the world's largest economic blocs. According to April 2025 projections from the International Monetary Fund, the EU's nominal GDP is expected to reach nearly $20 trillion second only to the United States. Meanwhile, the Indo-Pacific generates 60% of global GDP and contributes two-thirds of global economic growth, based on the European Union's Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

These economic strengths are complementary. Cross-regional cooperation is not only strategic but mutually beneficial, deepening interdependence, advancing innovation, and reinforcing resilience amid today's geopolitical uncertainties.