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THE
European Union (EU) said it is following “with greatest
interest” the evolution of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean) toward becoming a single market by
2015.
EU High
Representative for the Common Foreign and Security
Policy (CFSP) Javier Solana said Asean’s economic
integration is important not only for the region, but
for the world that is pushing for multilateral trading.
“The
Asean is important to us. . . .What you continue to do
in this period is fascinating, and we follow with
greatest interest the development of Asean, and looking
forward [to] 2015 for a single market,” said Solana at
the Asean-EU meeting at the Asean Post-Ministerial
Conference at the Philippine International Convention
Center (PICC).
The EU
has proposed to sign a comprehensive free-trade
agreement with the 10 Asean members within two years to
facilitate trade and investments for the two biggest
regional blocs representing 1 billion people. The two
parties formally launched negotiations for the EU-Asean
free-trade agreement in May at the sidelines of the
Asean Economic Ministers Meeting in Brunei.
However,
the EU wants to exclude least-developed countries in
Asean (Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) in the
proposed FTA by not requiring them to make trade
commitments. Asean leaders have yet to deliberate on
such EU proposal, but Philippine Foreign Minister
Alberto Romulo and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid
Albar indicated they would rather include these
countries in any Asean endeavor as full negotiating
partners.
In a
joint communiqué adopted at the 40th Asean Ministerial
Meeting on Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the
regional bloc said the Asean single market and
production base should be characterized by a competitive
economic region with equitable economic development.
The EU
is the second-largest export market and third-largest
trading partner of Asean countries after the US and
Japan. In 2005 the EU exports to Asean countries were
estimated at €45 billion, while EU imports from Asean
were valued at €71 billion.
Exports
of Asean countries to the rich European markets include
machinery, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles
and clothing.
At the
same time, Solana said the EU also seeks to strengthen
its relationship with Asean at the political level
through its accession to the Asean Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation (TAC).
That
treaty, signed by the 10 members, seeks to prevent
military aggression in the region. So far, only
individual states are allowed to sign the treaty. The
Asean has signed the second protocol allowing non-Asian
countries to sign the TAC. It has yet to adopt the third
protocol that would allow regional blocs and superbodies
like the EU to accede to the TAC. France and Timor Leste
signed the TAC in December last year, while Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka signed the treaty on Tuesday at the Asean
Post- Ministerial Conference.
“Beyond
the economic relationship [of EU-Asean] which is very
profound, I think we have also started to talk about
politics and how we will look with the same eyes at
important events that have taken place in the world,”
said Solana.
He added
that the EU, “will be very happy to have that [3rd
protocol] finalized as soon as possible because we want
to have a very deep relation with you [referring to
Asean].” |
