Page 27 - ASEAN-EU Dialogue 2018: Regional and Inter-Regional Economic Cooperation: Identifying Priorities for ASEAN and the EU

In terms of merchandise exports, Singapore tops the list again and Lao PDR on the tail end
with merchandise exports of only a mere 0.1% of the level of Singapore’s exports. The
Philippines exports some 19% of Singapore’s exports. In terms of migrants, the region has both
migrants sending countries (like Indonesia, and the Philippines) and migrant receiving
countries (Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). The number of irregular migrants is 2.6 million,
82% of whom are Indonesians and Filipinos. Malaysia and Thailand received 83% of these
migrants.

The ASEAN-EU Dialogue
As it has been effectively portrayed in the “EU-ASEAN Development Cooperation 2014-2020”
(European Union, 2014), the dialogue on sustainable development between the ASEAN and
the European Union is part and parcel of the 40 years of official relations between the two,
where the EU has celebrated more than 60 years of European integration while ASEAN is 50
years since its formation. Between the two, they represent 38 countries and more than a billion
citizens and their relationship is stronger than ever – because as two of the most advanced
examples of regional integration, ASEAN and the EU are ‘natural partners’ as it can be seen in
the economic, trade and investment sphere, where links have been very strong and keep on
growing. The EU continues to be the biggest foreign investor in ASEAN with US$30.5 billion
in 2016 or an increase of 46% from previous year. Indeed, the historical developments of this
relationship testify to achieving these distinct but coalescing goals. ASEAN is the EU’s third
largest trading partner outside Europe. And the EU is ASEAN’s second largest trading partner
worldwide, and the biggest provider of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), accounting for almost
a quarter of foreign investment in the region.

Their long-standing development cooperation has also been a success story spanning over a
large number of areas. The 170 million Euros that have been dedicated by the EU to ASEAN
regional integration over the period 2014-2020 is more than the EU has ever provided before.
This is in addition to the more than 2 billion euros that the EU has provided to ASEAN Member
States bilaterally. Furthermore, advancing ASEAN-EU cooperation at bilateral and regional
levels, as well as on multilateral basis for key global issues of sustainable development has a
tremendous potential which can be enhanced through continuing and effective dialogue on
development strategies as well as string of concrete cooperation initiatives, based on mutual
interests and shared commitments to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).
Achieving the SDGs will require mobilizing domestic as well international, public and private
financial resources. It is not just the figures that matter – but also the unique experience,
knowledge and lessons learned from the two regional integration processes, that makes this
partnership and its potential so unique. They both have a lot to gain by further strengthening
their cooperation on shared global challenges, including promoting sustainable development,
reducing poverty and inequalities, and addressing climate change.

According to “The EU-ASEAN Relations” (European Union, 2018) in March 2018, the top 10
focus areas for strengthening EU-ASEAN Ties are: 1) Trade and investment including
negotiations of FTAs, 2) Security and ‘soft power’. Across Asia there is a widespread
perception that the EU is just a purely economic bloc and should therefore engage only on trade.
This is not the case – especially when the issue is sharing “soft power” expertise in non-
traditional security issues including maritime security, conflict prevention, counter-terrorism,
and nuclear non-proliferation, 3) Rule of law and multilateral institutions. ASEAN may advice
that the EU engage with – instead of fearing – China, as well as to make sure that EU-ASEAN
relationship is not defined only by links with the two superpowers, 4) Climate change. With
temperatures and sea levels predicted to rise in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and

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