MANILA — Eight senators went to France last month for an "official visit" to "improve" the Philippines' relations with the European country, according to the French embassy in Manila.

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Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, and senators Manuel Lapid, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Christopher Lawrence Go went to France from October 24 to 26 to meet their French counterparts, the embassy said.

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"The senators met with French Senate President Gérard Larcher, Senator Daniel Gremillet, who specializes in energy, and the France-Southeast Asia Parliamentary Friendship Group chaired by Senator Mathieu Darnaud, and co-chaired by Senator Gisèle Jourda who follows the Philippines specifically," it said.

According to the embassy, Zubiri, during the meetings, stressed the Philippines' intention to "scale up partnerships with France and the European Union" particularly in the sectors of energy, agriculture and defense.

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Other topics discussed were on the environment and the "blue economy."

Darnaud assured the Philippine senators of France’s support to defend the "principles of a free and open maritime space in compliance with the rules of international law", the embassy said.

While in France, the senators visited the shipyard of French industrial firm Naval Group in Cherbourg and the Flamanville EPR nuclear power plant, which houses two pressurized water reactors.

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They also held a meeting with the French Nuclear Safety Authority, and representatives of the Atomic Energy Commission, a research organization. During these two meetings, the NUWARD project, EDF’s small modular reactor, was presented, which was a topic of great interest for the senators.

The Philippine senators also held meetings with French companies that have presence or are interested in investing in the Philippines, the embassy said.

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They discussed the possibility of acquiring Airbus helicopters, as well as Scorpene submarines from Naval Group.

France was the first destination chosen by the Philippine Senate since its election in May.

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