A delegation from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) visited Brussels from 11 to 13 September 2024 and met with the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade and the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development to discuss and exchange views of various EU regulations affecting agri-food products.

The delegation also met with the Committee Linking Entrepreneurship-Agriculture Development (COLEAD - a non-profit European organization that supports sustainable agricultural value chains and offers expertise in enhancing agricultural practices, ensuring compliance with European standards, and facilitating market access for products) and the European Vegetable Oil and Proteinmeal industry (FEDIOL - an organization representing European vegetable oil and protein meal sector that plays a key role in advocating for industry interests, food safety standards, and sustainable practices within the EU market) to discuss the EU regulations (particularly the EU Deforestation Regulation) and to advocate for Philippine coconut and coconut-derived products.

The delegation had participated in the Oils and Fats International (OFI) Conference 2024 held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands before proceeding to Brussels.