EU/ASEAN 2007: Celebrating 30 years of relations

Impressive achievements – even more potential

EU/ASEAN 2007: Celebrating30 years of relations

European Commission

ASEAN and the EU celebrate several anniversaries in 2007: 50years since the establishment of the European EconomicCommunity, 40 years since the establishment of ASEAN and30 years of formal political relations between the EU andASEAN. Since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the European Union (EU)has grown to take in 27 member countries, creating a SingleMarket of near 500 million people, adopt a single currency andemerged as a political actor on the international stage.Since the Bangkok Declaration of 1967 establishing ASEAN,South-East Asia has also been transformed: poverty has beenreduced at an unprecedented pace, economies enjoy impres-sive growth rates, while democracy is gaining ground. Morerecently, ASEAN has doubled its efforts for economic andpolitical integration: the aim is an ASEAN Security, Economicand Socio-cultural Community by 2015 on the basis of anASEAN Charter. On the other hand, ASEAN is clearly emergingas the motor for multilateral co-operation in the wider region ofEast Asia, as testified by its central role in the region’s promi-nent groupings of ASEAN Plus Three, the East Asia Summitand the ASEAN Regional Forum. EU/ASEAN relations have also changed beyond recognitionsince 1977. Particularly in recent years, a series of initiativeshave taken the relationship to higher level, but also revealedthe enormous potential of closer co-operation.The European Commission’s (EC) Communication “NewPartnership with South-East Asia” of 2003 confirmed the EU’scommitment to establish a comprehensive strategic frame-work for EU/ASEAN relations and to revitalise bilateral rela-tions by reinforcing economic, political and security co-opera-tion.The EU has an overarching political and economic interest insupporting ASEAN’s efforts towards greater regional integra-tion. European history bears testimony to the fact that greaterintegration is the best guarantee of stability and prosperity,and South-East Asia can find inspiration in this. A strong andunited ASEAN will contribute to a secure and balanced futurein Asia and the wider world.

Impressive achievements – even more potentialPartnership and Cooperation Agreements: In 2005, the EUbegan negotiations on bilateral Partnership and Co-operationAgreements (PCA’s) with South-East Asian countries. Theagreements between the EU and South-East Asian countriesestablish a contractual basis for our bilateral relations andopen-up a wide range of areas for co-operation on issues ofcommon concern such as migration, climate change or thefight against terrorism.Aceh: With the signature of the peace agreement on Aceh inAugust, 2005, the EU and ASEAN launched the unprecedent-ed EU-ASEAN Aceh Monitoring Mission. The mission wastasked to monitor the full implementation of the peace agree-ment, including its disarmament and human rights provisions.Engagement in Aceh proved the EU’s determination andcapacity to contribute actively to ensuring security and stabi -lity in the region, by working closely together with partners inASEAN. The experience of this joint operation helped tocement a relationship of trust between the EU and ASEAN.

Treaty of Amity and Co-operation: The ASEAN Treaty ofAmity and Co-operation, signed in 1976, is a statement of fun-damental principles governing relations between South-EastAsian countries. Moreover, ASEAN sees the Treaty as a codeof conduct for external relations. In December 2006, theEU/EC applied for accession to the Treaty, signalling Europe’swill to engage politically with South-East Asia.Trade: The enlarged EU is currently ASEAN’s 2nd largest trad-ing partner, ahead of China and Japan, and accounting for11.7% of ASEAN trade. ASEAN as a bloc is the EU’s 5thlargest overall trading partner, ahead of Japan, Norway andTurkey. Despite the current level of trade, the enormous poten-tial from enhancing the economic partnership led the EU andASEAN in 2007 to launch negotiations on a Free TradeAgreement. ASEAN Regional Forum: The EU is an active member of theASEAN Regional Forum, the principal platform in the Asia-Pacific for discussing security issues among participantswhich include the ASEAN member countries, the US, China,Japan, India and others. The forum has achieved a level ofmaturity which allows partners to engage openly on all mattersof regional and international concern. The EU fully supportsthe efforts of the ARF to strengthen its capacity for preventivediplomacy.Regional co-operation programmes: Co-operation pro-grammes with ASEAN cover a broad range of sectors: stan-dards, civil aviation, energy, customs, intellectual propertyrights, higher education, bio-diversity and others. But since2003, when ASEAN expressed its vision for achieving theASEAN Community, the EC has begun to concentrate its co-operation budget to helping ASEAN achieve its bold objec-tives. Today, the EC dedicates the bulk of the regional techni-cal co-operation programmes in South-East Asia to assistingthe association in its efforts for regional integration, particular-ly economic integration. For this purpose, the EC has set aside€ 70 million for the period 2007-2013, in addition to the va riousbilateral technical co-operation programmes with individualASEAN member countries.Sector dialogue: One part of EC-ASEAN co-operation pro-grammes, but with a major significance for the deepening ofour political relations is the region-to-region dialogue betweenofficials in various sectors. The EC sees these EC-ASEAN sec-tor-dialogues - READI for non-trade issues and TREATI fortrade issues - as an effective vehicle for advancing the mu -tually beneficial agenda and for sharing experience in differentfields. Policy and regulatory co-operation focuses on issuessuch as climate change, trade facilitation, trade in services,removal of non-tariff barriers, the information society, energy,employment and social affairs or civil aviation.The remarkable stepping-up of EU/ASEAN relations in recentyears culminated in the EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting inNuremberg in March, 2007 and the EU/ASEAN Commemo -rative Summit in November, 2007. The Nuremberg declarationcommits the two parties to enhancing their partnership in amultitude of sectors, including political and security co-operation, trade and investment, energy security and climatechange. An operational plan of action will spell-out detailedmeasures on the way to implement the provisions of this declaration.The EU/ASEAN Commemorative Summit on 22 November,2007 crowns the success of this important relationship andgives a political impetus to developing the partnership further.

European CommissionDirectorate General External RelationsB-1049 BrusselsTel : +32 2 299 11 11http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/asean/intro/index.htm

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PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

MALAYSIASINGAPORE

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AUSTRIASLOVENIA

NETH. POLAND

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HUNGARY

Brunei

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Indonesia

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Vietnam

EU/ASEAN 2007: Celebrating 30 years of relations

The year 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of formal relations between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A first-ever Commemorative EU/ASEAN Summit will celebrate this landmark anniversary, and look forward to developing the partnership further.

Since 1977, EU-ASEAN relations have grown rapidly and expanded to cover a wide range of areas including political and security issues, economic and trade questions, and social, cultural and develop-ment cooperation.

The EU and ASEAN have a shared commitment to regional integration as a means of fostering regional stability, building prosperity and addressing global challenges. Thus, the EU fully supports ASEAN’s renewed efforts to build a closer relationship amongst its member-countries.

The European Commission’s “New Partnership with South East Asia” confirmed its commitment to establish a comprehensive strategic framework for EU/ASEAN relations, building on the solid founda-tions which are delivering benefits flowing from closer economic, political and security co-operation.

• We are forging Partnerships and Co-operation Agreements, which will deepen and extend bilateral relations between the EU and South-East Asian countries

• The experience of the Aceh Monitoring Mission demonstrated the potential for political co-operation and opened new avenues for the EU/ASEAN partnership.

• The EU’s request to join the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Co-operation underlines Europe’s will to engage politically with South-East Asia

• The launch of Free Trade Agreement negotiations confirms the shared desire to enhance trade and investment relations on the basis of an ambitious liberalization agenda.

• The EU’s active participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum is recognition of this forum as the principal platform to discuss political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

• The European Commission focuses its increased regional co-operation funding to helping ASEAN achieve its own objectives. Moreover, dialogue on sectoral issues between officials from the EC and ASEAN gives more substance to co-operation in trade and non-trade issues.

Against this background, the EU and ASEAN recognised the enormous potential from enhancing and deepening their relationship and set a vision for the future, which was further defined at the Nurem-berg ministerial meeting and the EU/ASEAN Commemorative Summit on 22 November, 2007 in Singapore.

The member countries of ASEAN:

Germany

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Cyprus

Denmark

Spain

Estonia

Finland

France

Greece

Hongary

Ireland

Italy

Littuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Czech Republic

Romania

United Kingdom

Slovakia

Slovenia

Sweden

Latvia

EU Member States

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