Indo-Pacific: EU-ASEAN Summit brings the two regions closer

Yesterday, EU and ASEAN leaders concluded the Commemorative Summit in Brussels, celebrating 45 years of EU-ASEAN diplomatic relations.

During the Summit, President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €10 billion investment package under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy that will accelerate infrastructure investments, focussing on the green transition and sustainable connectivity in ASEAN countries.

President von der Leyen and Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, on behalf of the EU, together with leaders from Vietnam, the UK and other countries from the International Partners Group agreed a Just Energy Transition Partnership with Vietnam. This Partnership will support Vietnam to deliver on its ambitious Net Zero 2050 goal, accelerate the peaking of its greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy. It will mobilise an initial $15.5 billion (€14.5 billion) of public and private finance over the next three to five years to support Viet Nam’s green transition.

The Commission and the Member States of ASEAN also agreed to establish the EU-ASEAN Energy Dialogue, a new framework for the two regions to regularly exchange on energy security, renewable energy and hydrogen, energy efficiency as well as regional power market integration.

Furthermore, President von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong announced the signature of a digital partnership between the EU and Singapore in 2023 that will advance cooperation on the full range of digital issues, including trade facilitation, trusted data flows and data innovation, digital trust, standards, digital skills for workers, and the digital transformation of businesses and public services. The EU and Singapore have also agreed on a set of Digital Trade Principles.

On the margins of the Summit, the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell signed two bilateral Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with Malaysia and Thailand.

EU and ASEAN leaders also celebrated the signature of the EU-ASEAN Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement in October this year. This agreement will open up more air transport opportunities and enhance direct connectivity between the two regions, while upgrading rules and standards for concerned flights.

Read the joint EU-ASEAN Leaders’ statement issued and President von der Leyen‘s speech at the press conference following the Summit.

More information on EU-ASEAN relations is available on the factsheet on general relations, the factsheet on Global Gateway in ASEAN, the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Blue Book and the EU Delegation’s website.