The Philippines established diplomatic ties with practically all the original 15 European Union Member States in 1948. With the European Community itself, the Philippines established formal ties on 12 May 1964 with Ambassador Vicente I. Singian as its Head of Mission.

Historically, the signing of the EC Cooperation Agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1980 served as the primary legal framework for Philippine relations with the EU. In 1984, the Philippines and the European Commission concluded a Framework Agreement for Development Cooperation that provided the basis for the EC-assisted development projects in the Philippines.

The EC opened its Delegation Office to the Philippines in May 1991 following the influx of official development assistance to the country after democracy was restored under the administration of then President Corazon Aquino in 1986.

With the aim of providing a more comprehensive, updated and strategic framework to the relations between the Philippines and the European Union, the European Commission and the Philippine Government negotiated a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which was signed on 11 July 2012 and is now in the process of ratification.  It covers a wide range of areas, including politico-security, economic, trade, socio-cultural, education, technology and development cooperation.