ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement
The 2010 ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) consolidated all Common Effective Preferential Tariff/ASEAN Free Trade Area (CEPT/AFTA) commitments related to trade in goods. It seeks to establish a single market and production base with a free flow of goods in the ASEAN region, a major component of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). ATIGA covers tariff liberalization, trade facilitation initiatives, simplification of rules of origin, and establishment of an ASEAN Trade Repository. Visit https://investasean.asean.org/ for updates on ASEAN trade.
Philippines – Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
The Philippines and Japan entered into a free trade agreement in 2008. PJEPA is the Philippines’ only bilateral free trade agreement, covering, among others, trade in goods, trade in services, investments, movement of natural persons, intellectual property, customs procedures, improvement of the business environment, and government procurement.
Philippines – European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement
The Philippines and EFTA members – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – signed a free trade agreement in 2016 which entered into force in 2018. The Philippines-EFTA covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition, intellectual property, government procurement, and trade and sustainable development.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
The Philippines and 14 Asia Pacific countries – Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement in 2020, which entered into force in 2022. The RCEP agreement covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property, e-commerce, competition, small and medium enterprises, and government procurement. In February 2023, the Senate ratified the Philippines’ membership to the RCEP.
Other Free Trade Agreements
Under ASEAN, the Philippines has preferential trade agreements with China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia and New Zealand. Visit https://www.dti.gov.ph/ and https://finder.tariffcommission.gov.ph/ for a list of Philippine trade agreements and corresponding tariff schedules and commitments. Other trade-related information is also available at the Philippine National Trade Repository website https://www.pntr.gov.ph/.
For information on FTA partner countries, including how to take advantage of an FTA, please visit FTA Help Center.
Contact:
Bureau of International Trade Relations - Department of Trade and Industry
375 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Email: bitr@dti.gov.ph