As Philippine and European Union (EU) negotiators moved closer to nailing down talks on a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between Manila and this major economic bloc, Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte has cited the robust business partnership between Danish and other European investors, on one hand, and Filipino officials in Camarines Sur and the rest of the country, on the other, in renewable energy (RE), agribusiness, infrastructure and tourism.
Villafuerte said the European investments in Camarines Sur, including the 1,000-megawatt offshore wind project (OSW) of the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) that promises to become the biggest wind farm in the country, is “a testament to the strong and enduring partnership between Denmark and other EU countries and the Philippines.”
“This endeavor brings together our vision for sustainable development and sets a new benchmark for clean energy throughout the region,” said Villafuerte during the recent courtesy visit by Ambassador Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Philippines along with the delegation from the Royal Danish Embassy and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).
The Danish ambassador was accompanied in his courtesy visit last October by ECCP Executive Director Florian Gottein, CIP head of external affairs Jasper Manlapaz and T&I and Ports manager Sander Harsmen.
During the meeting with Villafuerte and representatives of the Camarines Sur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), Mellbin noted the impressive projects of the provincial government and commended Camarines Sur for its reputation as a business-friendly province.
Villafuerte, who is president of the National Unity Party (NUP) and senior vice chairman (for South Luzon) of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), noted that “the Danish people are known around the world for their progressive values, commitment to sustainability, and their pioneering spirit in clean technology and renewable energy.”
Amid the global push for a swift transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, Camarines Sur has emerged as an investors’ haven for RE development, promising to become the capital for renewables, especially wind power.
“Denmark’s history—marked by innovation, environmental stewardship, and robust global partnerships—is an inspiration to us as we build our province’s future on similar principles,” he said.
Villafuerte expressed his and Camarines Sur’s “deepest gratitude to CIP (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners) for placing your trust and confidence in Camarines Sur. Your landmark investment in the 1,000-megawatt OSW project is not only the largest in the country, but is also a testament to the strong and enduring partnership between Denmark and the Philippines.”
“This endeavor brings together our vision for sustainable development and sets a new benchmark for clean energy throughout the region,” said the governor as he thanked CIP for “believing in the potential of our people and our province. Your commitment inspires us, and paves the way for further collaborations in renewable energy, technology, infrastructure, agri-business, tourism, and beyond.”
Villafuerte likewise expressed gratitude to the ECCP “for supporting strong economic ties between Europe and Camarines Sur. We hope that more European investors and visitors will discover the promise of our province—not just in renewable energy, but across a range of industries.”
He stressed that Camarines Sur is “a business-friendly province, offering ease of doing business, a dynamic workforce, rich natural resources, and a supportive government willing to partner for growth and innovation. This is the ideal time to invest, to create, and to succeed here.”
During the meeting with corporate chief executive officers (CEOs) at the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, President Marcos said the Philippines was “open, ready, and eager to do business with all of you,” on the strength of its “dynamic workforce, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and an unwavering commitment to sustainable and inclusive prosperity.”
The President said the government has implemented various reforms to make the Philippines more conducive to foreign investments, including the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code (Republic Act or RA 11966), the Capital Market Efficiency Promotion Act (RA 12214) and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy or CREATE-MORE (RA 12066).
As a three-term congressman, Villafuerte had co-authored these three business-friendly laws.
The governor had also co-authored two more pro-investment laws, namely, RA 12252, which liberalized the lease of private lands by foreign investors; and RA 12253, which enhanced the fiscal framework for large-scale metallic miners by, among others, adjusting royalty rates and introducing greater transparency and accountability in mining revenue collection.
Following the productive fourth round of talks on a Philippine-EU FTA in Cebu, the Philippines and the EU are conducting in 2026 a full round of negotiations for a free trade pact.
Earlier, EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro expressed the hope that the FTA negotiations would be completed and take effect before the EU Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU GSP+) expires in 2027.
The EU GSP+, allows beneficiary-countries like the Philippines to enjoy duty-free entry to EU markets of over 6,000 tariff lines or products.
During the meeting with Villafuerte and representatives of the Camarines Sur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), Mellbin noted the impressive projects of the provincial government and commended Camarines Sur for its reputation as a business-friendly province.
Amid the global push for a swift transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, Camarines Sur has emerged as an investors’ haven for RE development, promising to become the capital for renewables, especially wind power, with 16 wind farm projects in the pipeline with a combined electricity capacity of over 7,668 megawatts (MW) once all of these ventures are up and running.
These 16 wind farms include the P162.9-billion project of the Copenhagen-based CIP on San Miguel Bay, which, once completed hopefully by 2028, will become CIP’s first in Southeast Asia and the first and single largest OSW project in the Philippines.
The San Miguel Bay wind farm is a project of the Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP)—the exclusive offshore developer of CIP—that is expected to create 2,500 jobs and spur indirect economic benefits, including the supply by local communities of food, lodging, maintenance along with other goods and services needed by this OSW venture.
The provincial government of Camarines Sur was one of the finalists of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)—the country’s biggest business organization—in its annual awards for the most business-friendly LGUs in 2025.
In a Facebook (FB) post, the country’s largest business group and representative of the private sector, PCCI recognized Camarines Sur and 30 city and municipal governments as the finalists in its 2025 Most Business-Friendly LGU Awards.
The PCCI said these LGUs have “demonstrated outstanding efforts in instituting good governance reforms to promote trade and investments, transparency, accountability, and efficiency in delivering business services to generate inclusive and sustainable growth and fast-track local economic development in their localities.”
