Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-04-Speech-3-130"
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"Mr President, the fourth Asia-Europe summit, or ASEM Meeting, is to be held in less than three weeks’ time in Copenhagen on 23 and 24 September, thereby giving ASEM cooperation a prominent place in European policy on Asia.
ASEM brings together a broad range of different civilisations and cultures across geographical, ethnic, religious and socio-economic boundaries and, in that way, the ASEM process helps create trust between the regions. By, as it were, building bridges between the European and Asian cultures and civilisations, ASEM is a forum well suited to the dialogue that is necessary in the fight against international terrorism’s attempts to split the international community. That is the background to the fact that the informal breakfast discussion I mentioned, under the heading ‘Dialogue Between Cultures and Civilisations’, is to be arranged at ASEM 4 with the purpose of promoting mutual understanding between Europe and Asia. The subjects might well be the significance of education in the efforts to promote understanding of other cultures and civilisations, the importance of equal access to information and significance of closer contacts between the nations of Europe and Asia. The expectation is that this special discussion will form the basis for an ongoing dialogue within ASEM concerning cultures and civilisations.
I have noted with great interest the observations and recommendations by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, contained in the European Parliament’s report of 16 July 2002 on the Commission Communication on a Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships between Europe and Asia. I would point out in this connection that, with the forthcoming summit, we in the Council view ASEM-based cooperation between Europe and Asia as having advanced a stage further so that it now forms a better basis for meeting the common challenges we face. I hope we can achieve the objectives, with which I am in agreement and which are to be found in Parliament’s report.
As someone who was present here in Parliament at the start of European cooperation – I was chairman of the Japan delegation – I am impressed by what it has grown into. I should like to thank Parliament for the interest it has shown and also draw attention to the personal contacts that exist between members of the European Parliament and the Asian parliaments. The importance of these cannot be overestimated, and the Presidency therefore attaches importance to Parliament’s report on ASEM cooperation.
Since its first summit six years ago, ASEM has been characterised by ever broader and more fruitful cooperation in a range of areas of common interest to Europe and Asia. More than 40 initiatives have been launched in areas as diverse as money laundering, illegal migration, people smuggling, child welfare, human rights, environmental protection, educational exchanges, lifelong learning and international cooperation. The number of meetings has also increased. In between the summits, ASEM’s foreign ministers and ministers of finance and economic affairs meet annually, for example, partly for the purpose of improving the summits and making efforts to ensure that the best possible results are achieved through the ASEM process.
There are more than two billion people living in the ASEM countries. Together, they produce more than half of what is produced throughout the world. The Asian ASEM countries form the EU’s second largest trading partner. This state of affairs illustrates the considerable significance of ASEM and the importance of the two regions’ continuing to cooperate fruitfully and in promising ways. A successful summit at the end of this month is therefore a high priority for the Danish EU Presidency.
In common with the three previous ASEM summits, ASEM 4 will be divided into three work sessions, one for each of the main areas of cooperation. These are: 1) political dialogue, 2) economic cooperation and 3) social, cultural and educational issues. Moreover, the forthcoming summit will include, as an innovation, an informal breakfast debate under the heading, ‘Dialogue Between Cultures and Civilisations’.
The idea is that the political dialogue should be based on the new international situation following 11 September, and it will involve a debate on the new challenges we face in terms of security policy. That means, for example, organised cross-border crime that affects us all. It is first and foremost a question of how, in the context of ASEM cooperation, we can unite in combating international terrorism, as well as other transnational threats such as the drugs trade, money laundering and illegal migration. A broad approach is required in this connection, with the emphasis on combating the underlying factors that can form a seedbed for extremism and intolerance. Among the matters to which we must attach importance are the fight against poverty and better access to education. With a view to translating words into action, the expectation is that the discussions will result in the adoption of a declaration on cooperation between Europe and Asia on the combating of international terrorism, combined with a cooperation programme based on existing ASEM activities for combating cross-border crime.
The political dialogue traditionally involves an exchange of opinions about development in the two regions. The subjects will undoubtedly include the most recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, and a declaration concerning the Korean Peninsula is expected to be issued at ASEM 4 with a view to promoting reconciliation and cooperation. Other subjects might include EU enlargement and the development of cooperation under ASEAN+3.
Discussion of economic matters will concentrate on economic and financial priorities in the light of the global economic recession, the consequences of the recession for the two regions and the opportunities for cooperating with a view to rectifying the situation. The current efforts to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation may, for example, be continued by working towards the implementation of the objectives formulated in the two ASEM economic action programmes, the Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP) and the Investment Promotion Action Plan (IPAP). Economic, financial and monetary integration as a growth factor is also expected to be discussed at the summit, as is the WTO Development Round as an essential prerequisite of sustainable economic development. It will be natural to use the ASEM process to add momentum to the Doha Development Round. In light of the results achieved in the Doha Round, there will be the possibility of strengthened regional cooperation with a view to achieving further progress in the economic relations between the EU and the Asian ASEM partners.
ASEM’s efforts to break down barriers to trade and investment are based on proposals from high-ranking private sector business leaders via the Asia-Europe Business Forum (AEBF) whose tasks include that of helping improve trade relations between Asia and Europe. This organisation’s annual forum will take place – under my own chairmanship, incidentally – directly before the ASEM 4 summit.
In the third main area – that of social, cultural and educational issues – the general theme will be that of measures for combating the unintended consequences of globalisation. The importance of developing human resources, including educational cooperation and lifelong learning, is expected to be given a central place in this context. One objective is to ensure that economic growth is reflected in progress in the social sphere that will go on to form the basis for social stability. A seminar on the subject is intended as the first step on the way. The discussions during the third work session will also relate to environmental issues and include a discussion of the ASEM partners’ opportunities for consolidating and developing cooperation in the environmental sphere, partly in the light of the Johannesburg summit."@en1
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