The Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines (EU Delegation Manila) is a fully-fledged diplomatic mission, with the task to officially represent the European Union in the Philippines (in close cooperation with the Embassies of the EU Member States). The European Union has 27 member states and over 500 million citizens. It is represented in over 120 countries. The Delegation was established in October 1990, and the premises of the Delegation were officially opened in May 1991, with the primary task to strengthen relations between EU and the Philippines. The Delegation has some 50 staff, and is organized in five sections - the office of the Ambassador, plus sections dealing with Economic, Trade Political and Information matters, Cooperation (Operations), Cooperation (Finance and Contracts) and Administration. In addition to following political and economic aspects of the EU's relations with the Philippines, and managing the EU's cooperation programmes with the Philippines, the Delegation also serves as an information point for all enquiries relating to EU-Philippine relations or to the policies and activities of the EU generally. The Delegation does not however deal with any tasks of a consular nature (like issuing visas or providing tourist information), which are dealt with by the embassies of the EU Member States.