THE Philippines and Hungary reaffirmed their commitment to deepen their economic cooperation after convening the 7th Philippines-Hungary Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (PH-HU JCEC) in Budapest on Dec. 3–4, 2025, officials said Tuesday. The Philippine delegation was led by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Allan Gepty, while Hungary was represented by Deputy Minister and Parliamentary State Secretary Levente Magyar of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Held in the spirit of friendship, mutual understanding and respect, the seventh session underscored both countries’ resolve to pursue practical and mutually beneficial cooperation across a wide range of economic sectors. An Experts Meeting on Dec. 3 laid the groundwork for the discussions, producing an initial draft of the Protocol of the 7th PH-HU JCEC, which outlined key discussion points and agreed areas of cooperation. This was followed by a plenary session on Dec. 4, during which Gepty and Magyar reviewed the state and prospects of Philippine-Hungarian relations. Discussions covered priority areas including trade and investment, agriculture, science and technology, financial cooperation, water management, space science, energy, climate change, labor, education, and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides agreed to sustain the momentum of high-level engagements between government agencies and the private sector. Hungary expressed interest in hosting a delegation from the Philippine Department of Energy in the second half of 2026 to study Hungary’s experience in the use of nuclear energy. The Philippines, meanwhile, signaled readiness to host the second Philippines-Hungary Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology next year. Using the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation as a framework, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to pursue initiatives that promote sustainable, innovative and mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture and science. Hungary also reiterated its support for the early conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive, balanced and modern Philippines–European Union Free Trade Agreement. The 8th PH-HU JCEC will be held in the Philippines in 2026. Following the plenary session, Gepty and Magyar signed the Protocol of the 7th PH-HU JCEC. In his statement, Gepty highlighted the contribution of 14,000 Filipino workers in Hungary. He added that Philippine interests extend beyond labor cooperation, citing opportunities in trade and investment, as well as collaboration in research, development and innovation. “The Philippines is also interested in working with Hungary in areas such as quantum computing, vaccine development, broadband connectivity, smart city solutions, and technologies that help mitigate the impact of climate change,” Gepty said. Magyar, meanwhile, reaffirmed Hungary’s strong support for expanding and deepening the Philippines’ trade, investment and broader economic relations with the European Union, including Hungary. The Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation serves as a formal mechanism for the Philippines and Hungary to propose, discuss and advance collaboration in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, innovation, science and technology, sustainable development, green energy, climate action, labor, education and training. The two countries have convened the JCEC regularly over the past seven years as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.