WHEN: 6 June 2025 I TIME: 14:00 - 15:30 (Bangkok Time) I Register HERE
Background:
The EU Global Gateway stands for sustainable and trusted connections that work for people and the planet. It helps to tackle the most pressing global challenges, from fighting climate change, to improving health systems, and boosting competitiveness and security of global supply chains.
The implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) – a major building block of the European Green Deal– has put forward legislative initiatives to move to a truly circular economy. CEAP includes a strong international dimension. These measures aim at catalysing new ways of doing business, different patterns of consumption, and better technologies for saving resources and recycling of secondary materials, products that are durable and repairable with citizens who care and consider their choices.
CEAP puts emphasis on priority value chains, many of which are important to the Asia-Pacific region, such as food, electronics, textiles, construction and buildings. These value chains often include Asia-Pacific businesses and, therefore, Europe’s Circular Economy Action Plan is highly relevant to guide EU Global Gateway strategy and its partnership in the Asia-Pacific region and to open up opportunities for collaboration between European and Asia-Pacific businesses.
The regulations also introduce requirements, which will apply to most products manufactured and/or consumed in the EU, with important economic and technical implications for businesses that rely on the EU as a key import/export market – impacting value chains globally as all products placed on the EU market will be affected.
The Global Gateway presents an opportunity to build EU-Asia partnerships that will shape value chains globally for a more Circular and Competitive Europe. The circular economy approach promotes the use of secondary raw materials, minimises environmental impacts associated with extraction and may increase the need for reliable partnerships that are foundation for active exchanges.
Webinar Session:
The EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and the European Environmental Bureau, are convening the webinar, The EU’s Global Gateway: The Importance of EU-Asia Partnerships for a Circular and Competitive Europe to:
- Discuss the main EU Circular Economy policies that have an external dimension applicable to the Asia-Pacific region
- Understand how Europe can build successful partnerships in Asia for a Circular transition
- Discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses in navigating this transition and how the Global Gateway can offer new horizons to its partners
Moderator:
Eva Bille, Head of Circular Economy, European Environment Bureau
Eva is in charge of the EEB activities around circular economy policy. She studied economics and graduated with a Master’s Degree specialising in resources, development and growth from Tilburg University. She has previously spent 10+ years as an EU policy consultant, working with major companies and trade associations in the Brussels bubble. She has also worked for the UN in Lebanon and spent 4 years working in China.
Speakers:
Diane Archer, Senior Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Diane Archer is a Senior Research Fellow with SEI. Diane joined SEI Asia in September 2018 as Urban Research Fellow, working on the City Health and Wellbeing Initiative. She also works on urban climate resilience and other initiatives seeking to achieve more equitable and sustainable cities. Diane brings expertise on urban poverty and urban community-led development, with an emphasis on achieving inclusive urban governance in cities of Asia and Africa. She has also previously worked on responses to urban humanitarian crises as well as adaptation to climate change in cities. Before joining SEI, Diane worked at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London and the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) in Thailand. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge on social capital in participatory slum upgrading in Bangkok, an MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration, and an MA in Land Economy.
