The Philippines signed defense and digital cooperation agreements with Italy and Estonia on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 14, cementing Manila’s push to lock in European security partnerships as tensions persist in the South China Sea.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro signed the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defense with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, replacing an expired memorandum of understanding between the two countries. In a separate meeting the same day, Lazaro signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Cooperation with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
What the Italy Deal Covers
The renewed agreement with Italy took over a year of consultations to finalize. Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial said the deal includes provisions on procurement, defense co-production, logistics, and technology collaboration, along with joint activities aimed at improving interoperability between the two countries’ armed forces.
Lazaro called the signing “another concrete step to move the Philippine-Italy cooperation forward.”
The Department of National Defense was more pointed in its assessment, saying the agreement reflects “a shared commitment to long-term capability development and greater interoperability, anchored on mutual respect and strategic trust.” The DND added that it values Italy’s expanding engagement in the Indo-Pacific and looks forward to “sustained cooperation that strengthens maritime security, promotes global stability, and advances mutual interests.”
Italy has anchored its Indo-Pacific engagement to a 2021 European Union strategy aimed at reinforcing a free, open, and rules-based order in the region. Rome has also stated that it regards UNCLOS as a key tool for managing territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea, a position that aligns directly with Manila’s own legal arguments against Chinese claims in the waterway.
Estonia Brings Cybersecurity and Digital Expertise to the Table
The Estonia deal is different in scope from the Italy agreement. Rather than focusing on traditional military cooperation, the MOU centers on cybersecurity, e-governance, and digital capacity building.
“Estonia is ready for deeper cooperation with the Philippines in cybersecurity, e-governance, and digital ID systems,” Tsahkna said after the signing.
Estonia is widely considered one of the most digitally advanced governments in the world, with extensive experience in building national digital infrastructure, including electronic voting, digital identity systems, and cybersecurity defense frameworks. For the Philippines, which has faced persistent cybersecurity challenges across both government and military networks, the partnership gives Manila direct access to one of Europe’s most capable governments on that front.
The MOU builds on momentum that had been developing for months. In January, Tsahkna and Lazaro held a call to discuss digital and cyber cooperation, following up on an earlier meeting in Brussels in November 2025.
[tweet https://x.com/Tsahkna/status/2009579705146425348]
Part of a Broader European Defense Push
The Munich signings did not happen in a vacuum. The Philippines has been steadily building out European defense partnerships over the past two years, with the annual Munich Security Conference serving as a key venue for advancing those relationships.
Manila signed a defense cooperation arrangement with Germany at a previous Munich conference, covering cybersecurity, armaments and logistics, and UN peacekeeping. Similar agreements have been reached with New Zealand and Japan, and the Philippine government has signaled that a deal with Canada could follow soon. Negotiations with France for a visiting forces agreement are also underway.
The pattern suggests Manila is deliberately diversifying its defense partnerships beyond its traditional alliance with the United States. None of these European deals are designed to replace the U.S. alliance, but they do give the Philippines access to different capabilities, defense technologies, and training pipelines that no single ally can provide on its own.
With military spending set to increase by more than ten percent for the third consecutive year, the Philippines now has the budget trajectory to turn these agreements into actual programs, whether that means Italian defense co-production projects, Estonian cybersecurity training, or German logistics support.
The next steps for both the Italy and Estonia agreements will likely involve staff-level talks to turn the broad frameworks into specific work plans, a process that the earlier Germany deal has already begun.
