EXPORTERS are being encouraged to further explore market opportunities in France by making use of free trade and bilateral agreements, the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) said.
“France is a significant trading partner of the Philippines. The trade relationship has shown growth over the years, with efforts to enhance trade ties continuing through business collaborations and economic engagements between the two countries,” WTCMM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pamela D. Pascual said.
WTCMM recently organized an information workshop with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau to tackle the untapped potential of Philippine products in France and how to maximize trade deals.
Goods traded between the Philippines and France include machinery, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and agri-food products, the WTCMM said.
The WTCMM said the untapped opportunities outside these industries “include business process outsourcing and information technology services, furniture and home decor, and textiles and apparel.”
The Philippines currently participates in the European Union’s (EU) Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which gives its products preferential access to the EU.
Under the GSP+ scheme, zero duties are collected on 6,274 Philippine-made products.
Meanwhile, the Philippines and the EU have resumed negotiations for a free trade agreement after talks were suspended in 2017.
The second round of negotiations took place in the second week of February in Manila, while the third round is expected to take place in June in Belgium.
The WTCMM also said that the 55th World Trade Centers Association Global Business Forum is expected to take place on April 6-9 in Marseille.
“This year, it provides a doorway to France, an economically refined nation with a large, diverse, and sophisticated consumer base, as well as the greater Mediterranean region with access to Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East,” it said.
“It will focus on aeronautics, agriculture and food processing, consumer goods, cosmetics, food and beverage, fashion and retail, freight and shipping, logistics and transportation, luxury goods, maritime and energy services, and tourism, among others,” it added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
