Strengthening bonds: EU-Asean relations and the Philippines

In a world increasingly interconnected yet beset by geopolitical tensions, regional alliances and partnerships emerge as beacons of stability and progress. Among these, the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stands out, not only for its historical depth, but also for its potential to shape the global landscape. While geographically divided by a large distance, we remain united on many fronts. Likewise, as ASEAN’s regional coordinator for the EU from July 2021 until July 2024, the Philippines has been very successful in leveraging our partnership and fostering ever-closer links between the two most successful regional integration projects in the world.

Ties between the EU and ASEAN have grown more fortified since becoming formal dialogue partners in 1977. On Dec. 1, 2020, the EU and ASEAN opened a new chapter in its already longstanding relationship by becoming Strategic Partners. This relationship built on a foundation of shared values and common goals – including a rules-based international order, effective and sustainable multilateralism, as well as better connectivity and flourishing people-to-people links – has bridged collaboration between our unions, serving as a bulwark against rising protectionism and unilateralism. Both unions are also deeply committed to promoting peace, stability and prosperity through dialogue and cooperation.

In this regard, the EU supports the ASEAN and its centrality in the pursuit of a stable and prosperous Southeast Asian region, reflected significantly in the consistent mention of the ASEAN in the EU Indo-Pacific strategy – the key strategic document that guides our cooperation with this vast and important region.

With such overlaps, EU-ASEAN cooperation covers a variety of issues. The EU is actively engaged with ASEAN in expanding trade and investment relations, which have intensified considerably during the last decade. We are each other’s third largest trade partner and as of 2022, the EU has been the third largest investor in ASEAN countries. However, there is still much untapped potential. The global geopolitical crises of the past years, including the COVID pandemic and Russia’s full-scale war of aggression in Ukraine, have highlighted the importance of diversifying supply chains and partnerships. In this context, the EU has concluded trade agreements with Singapore and Vietnam, and we are in the process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the Philippines and some other ASEAN member-states. It is our hope that these agreements will serve as stepping stones towards a region-to-region FTA, which persists as our common long-term objective.

Beyond trade and investment, EU-ASEAN collaboration encompasses environmental conservation, climate change mitigation and sustainable development. For instance, the EU has supported the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) since its inception. The ACB serves as the secretariat for the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) Program, protecting unique biodiversity and ecosystems of selected areas across the region. One of which is Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, an AHP with the largest remaining population of the critically endangered tamaraw, which I visited during my recent trip to Mindoro. Similarly, meeting the challenges of the twin green and digital transitions require massive investments in infrastructure and people. The EU’s Global Gateway is a mechanism for boosting smart, clean and secure links between the two regions, with green transition and sustainable connectivity as the top priorities, as proven by our respective Team Europe Initiatives for ASEAN. Under this strategy, the EU has pledged to mobilize 10-billion euros (approx. P630 billion) in investment from Team Europe from 2021-2027 for green and connectivity programs in ASEAN. We are pleased to note that the implementation of this investment package is progressing well.

Another prime example of our cooperation is the ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (AE CATA). As the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement, it provides a single, modern framework for air services between the two regions and improves the ability of EU and ASEAN airlines to compete for significant traffic flows. CATA will therefore play a crucial role in bolstering people-to-people connectivity and economic development among the 37 member-states of ASEAN and the EU, connecting 1.1 billion people.

The EU is furthermore a founding and active member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which aims to foster constructive dialogue and consultation through confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region with a view to ensuring its peace, prosperity and stability. We have been working together in many non-traditional security areas, such as maritime security, conflict prevention, mediation and reconciliation, crisis management, transnational crime, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and non-proliferation. Meanwhile, practical cooperation includes sharing best practices, enhancing law enforcement capabilities through training and technical assistance and fostering information-sharing mechanisms.

Amidst these intricate dynamics, the Philippines has been playing a pivotal role as the country coordinator for EU-ASEAN relations by facilitating dialogue, finding common ground in joint statements and enhancing mutual understanding in what were sometimes challenging circumstances. As coordinator, it has been skillfully navigating the complexities of ASEAN diversity, ensuring that collective ASEAN interests are effectively communicated and represented in interactions with the EU – and above all, that our relations continue to develop and benefit the peoples of both regions. The successful conduct of the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit held in Brussels in December 2022, also attended by President Marcos Jr., is lasting proof of the Philippines’ diplomatic prowess. It is therefore safe to say that the term of the Philippines as ASEAN Coordinator for EU Relations has been a great success.

In all, it is by addressing the challenges of a complex world jointly that the EU and ASEAN contribute to shaping a future underwritten by shared prosperity, peace and inclusive development across continents. Thus, the EU-ASEAN strategic partnership stands as a steadfast testament to the power of collaboration, further strengthening our bridges throughout the globe.

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Luc Veron is the Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines.