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SINGAPORE: As the ASEAN summit wraps up in Singapore, the European Union has expressed its commitment to strengthen ties with ASEAN.
The signing of the ASEAN Charter and its aims mirror much of what the EU went through some 50 years ago.
The European leaders have applauded the move and ASEAN's commitment in tackling issues such as climate change. ASEAN in turn will look towards tapping into the EU's experience and leadership in this area.
"We agreed on key principles to tackle the problem, the need to set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the need for comprehensive global participation and thus also the need to reconcile very different views of this problem of developing and developed countries... develop over time a global consensus enough to make a post-Kyoto agreement," said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
ASEAN and the EU have also issued a joint declaration to enhance their partnership, including an action plan that sets out concrete areas of cooperation. Several detailed initiatives will be carried out over the next two years.
There is a common desire on both sides to speed up the process of securing the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement.
Currently, the EU is ASEAN's second largest trading partner, and ASEAN is the EU's fifth largest trading partner.
European Commission President Jose Barroso said: "(ASEAN) is also a very important partner for the EU in addressing common challenges such as sustainable development, climate change, energy, security, fight against terrorism, poverty or equitable economic growth.
"That's why we believe the EU and ASEAN should work together to increase our leverage in shaping international agenda by our political and economic weight."
In the last 30 years, the EU has pumped some 250 million euros into ASEAN related activities. It has also committed 1.3 billion euros on projects with Southeast Asian countries over the next seven years. - CNA/ac
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