Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM)

Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM)
Partners of ASEM in blue
Partners of ASEM in blue
Establishment 1996
Website
www.ASEMinfoboard.org
8th Asia–Europe Meeting Summit in 2010, Brussels, Belgium

The Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) was officially established in 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand, as an exclusively Asian-European forum to enhance relations and various forms of co-operation between the then 15 members of the European Union (EU) and its Commission, the then 7 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the individual countries of China, Japan, and South Korea.[1] A series of enlargements saw additional EU members join as well as India, Mongolia, Pakistan, and the ASEAN Secretariat in 2008, Australia, New Zealand and the Russian Federation in 2010,[2] Bangladesh, Norway, and Switzerland in 2012,[3] Croatia and Kazakhstan in 2014.

The main components of the ASEM process rest on the following 3 so-called pillars:

In general, the process is considered by the parties involved to be a way of deepening the relations between Asia and Europe at all levels, which is deemed necessary to achieve a more balanced political and economic world order. The process is enhanced by the biennial meetings of Heads of State and Government, alternately in Europe and Asia, and biennial meetings of Foreign Ministers as well as political, economic, and socio-cultural meetings and events at various levels.

Members

ASEM currently has 53 partners: 51 countries and 2 regional organisations. The countries are Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Lao PDR, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam, while the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat are the regional organisations involved.

Meetings

ASEM Summits

The biennial Summits, attended by the Heads of State and Government of the respective members, have been held in:

ASEM Ministerial Meetings

Aside from Summits, regular Ministerial Meetings are held on foreign affairs, financial, cultural, educational, labor and employment, economic, environmental, or transport issues, attended by the relevant ministers:

ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meetings

ASEM Finance Ministers’ Meetings

ASEM Culture Ministers' Meetings

ASEM Education Ministers' Meetings

ASEM Labour & Employment Ministers’ Conferences

ASEM Economic Ministers' Meetings

ASEM Environment Ministers' Meetings

ASEM Transport Ministers' Meetings

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lay Hwee Yeo (2003). Asia and Europe: the development and different dimensions of ASEM. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-30697-3.
  2. ↑ ASEM ministers wrap up ‘productive’ session
  3. ↑ ASEF's Expansion

External links

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