28 April 2015 – The EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) welcomes ASEAN’s reaffirmed commitment to regional trade and economic competitiveness and the continuing progress towards the ASEAN Economic Community.
The Council is particularly encouraged by ASEAN’s strengthened commitment to consultation with the international business community, represented by the reactivation of the ASEAN Trade Facilitation Joint Consultative Committee and the improvement and relaunching of the ASEAN Consultation to Resolve Trade and Investment Issues, as outlined in the Chairman’s Statement of the 26th ASEAN Summit.
The EU-ABC was also delighted at European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrӧm’s announcement in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday that the European Union and ASEAN would be exploring the possibility of reopening negotiations for an EU-ASEAN free trade agreement later this year, a key milestone in accelerating the expansion of EU-ASEAN economic relations.
EU-ABC Executive Director Chris Humphrey comments: “We are very encouraged by the outcomes of Commissioner Malmstrӧm’s meeting with the ASEAN Economic Ministers and welcome Europe’s renewed commitment to cultivating its extensive ties to Southeast Asia. The EU-ABC was honoured to have had the opportunity to present our Agenda for the promotion of trade and investment between ASEAN and Europe to the ASEAN Economic Ministers and Commissioner Malmstrӧm during the Thirteenth ASEAN Economic Minister-EU Trade Commissioner Consultations. The Agenda was well-received and we look forward to collaborating with ASEAN and EU trade and economic officials on deepening and facilitating the EU-ASEAN trade relationship.”
