EU-ASEAN: Building a better future with the Philippines

While August has been described as a “Ghost Month,” for the EU, it is one special month as we welcome the Philippines as the Coordinator for the ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations starting Aug. 9 for the three years to come.

This month also marked the ASEAN Day as it was on Aug. 8, 1967 when foreign ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines signed the ASEAN Declaration to promote peace, security and foster economic development and cooperation among them.

These goals resonate as strong as ever nowadays. Just a few days ago, the EU welcomed the appointment of the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar, Brunei’s Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof. This is a positive step on the part of ASEAN in finding a peaceful solution to the current crisis and in implementing the five-point consensus on Myanmar.

How the EU and ASEAN can contribute to these goals, under the stewardship of the Philippines as ASEAN Country Coordinator, was precisely the topic of the webinar organized by the EU Delegation to the Philippines on Aug. 12 on “What does the Strategic Partnership Mean to EU-ASEAN Relations?”

I am grateful to Philippines’ Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN Ambassador Kok Li Peng, EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Delia Albert for having participated in this webinar. Everyone was confident that the EU-ASEAN strategic partnership is bound to expand and to flourish despite the pandemic.

During the webinar, Undersecretary Lazaro stressed that under the theme “Building the Future Better,” the Philippines will focus on the post-pandemic recovery, the new EU-ASEAN Plan of Action (2023-2027); champion the respect to international law, including UNCLOS and finalization of the Code of Conduct, and enhance EU-ASEAN security cooperation.

She also said that the ASEAN and EU, as strategic partners, should elevate their exchanges to the highest level, with the Philippines laying the groundwork for a successful ASEAN-EU Commemorative 45th Anniversary Summit in 2022.

I view these as upbeat signals from the ASEAN to strengthen further our relationship.

Our strategic partnership should be an occasion to enhance cooperation in addressing global issues such as global warming, combatting and recovering from COVID-19, peace and security, human rights, sustainable development.

Multilateralism has always been key to tackle global challenges. The more regional organizations work together, the stronger we are collectively and the more robust the multilateral system becomes.

I am convinced this partnership will also bring tangible benefits for the peoples of the EU and of ASEAN.

The EU and the ASEAN are one in our resolve to promote peace, security, stability and adherence to international law in the region. We are also united in our determination to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its terrible repercussions on the lives, health and livelihoods of our peoples, and to do our part to contribute to a global recovery that is sustainable and that leaves no one behind.

With the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, we have underlined our interest to intensify our work to boost trade and investment, economic openness and a sustainable approach to connectivity in the region.

Likewise, we are determined to be a political and security actor in this part of the world, through our engagement, for example, on maritime security and conflict prevention.

That is why the EU has a strong interest in becoming a full participant at the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), the latter being the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. We thank the Philippines for its consistent support at the national level to this aspiration, and count on its support to move this request forward as dialogue coordinator.

The EU-ASEAN agenda is broad and deep, and the EU cares deeply about this. Together with the Philippines, I am certain that our relationship with ASEAN will become even more vigorous and dynamic.

This journey that we are treading is a work in progress, but I look forward to celebrating the 45th year of ASEAN-EU relations next year. In the meantime, allow me to greet ASEAN once again, a “Maligayang Kaarawan” and to the Philippines, I say, “Malugod naming kayong tinatanggap bilang ASEAN Coordinator.”

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