The Philippines and the European Union (EU) have taken another step in implementing a €22.6-million (about P1.4 billion) digital economy initiative aimed at improving connectivity, expanding access to satellite data, and strengthening cybersecurity and 5G capabilities.
Implementing partners of the EU-Philippines Digital Economy Package held their first Project Steering Committee Meeting on June 4, marking the formal start of project coordination among participating agencies and organizations.
According to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), the program seeks to help position the Philippines as a regional digital hub by improving bandwidth connectivity, ensuring reliable access to Copernicus Earth observation data, and providing training on 5G technologies and cybersecurity.
The initiative also supports the National Copernicus Capacity Support Action Program (CopPhil), which uses satellite-based data to strengthen disaster management and climate action efforts.
Funding for the package includes a €20-million contribution from the EU, supplemented by €2 million from Finland and €600,000 from France.
The project forms part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which promotes investments in digital, energy, transport, health, education, and research infrastructure worldwide.
The cooperation agreement for the program was signed in 2025 by EU ambassador Massimo Santoro and Department of Finance secretary Frederick Go.
Implementation is being led by PhilSA and the EU Delegation to the Philippines, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Department of National Defense–Office of Civil Defense (DND-OCD). European partners include Expertise France, Climate KIC, HAUS Finland, and the foreign ministries of France and Finland.
