Strengthening bilateral cooperation between the EU and ASEAN

        The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on May 26 started discussions on the mechanisms of association. to enter and strengthen cooperation in the fields of economics, politics and security in Madrid, Spain.

         At this meeting, the two sides plan to sign the Madrid Declaration setting out future goals for bilateral cooperation, assess progress in implementing the Action Plan Nuremberg signed by the two parties in 2007 as well as decisions made at the Conference Phnom Penh (Cambodia) in May 2009.

         This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the 1980 EU-ASEAN Cooperation Agreement, which opened the door for economic and political cooperation between the two.

          Established in 1967, ASEAN is a regional cooperative organization that currently covers a territory of 4.5 million square kilometers and a population of 576 million as of 2007 with a gross domestic product of nearly $ 3 trillion.

          The EU is an economic and political alliance of 27 member countries with a population of nearly 500 million, which is one of the most developed regional cooperative organizations.

           The ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) officially entered into force to contribute to the transparency of the region's trade liberalization.

                                                   (Asean Vietnam 2010)