The EU and ASEAN are committed partners in sustainable development and enjoy mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as economic integration, connectivity, the environment and climate change mitigation and education. As the EU increasingly takes on the role of a global security actor and engages in ASEAN-led processes, EU-ASEAN cooperation continues to expand into new fields such as maritime security, counterterrorism and transnational crime.
Recognising the impressive progress made in the implementation of the EU-ASEAN Plan of Action for 2018-2022, in January 2019, the 22nd EU-ASEAN meeting of Foreign Ministers agreed, in principle, to upgrade EU-ASEAN relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership. This will allow increased engagement on key regional and global issues.
The strengthening of EU-ASEAN relations will continue to be driven by shared values and interests, a mutual desire to cooperate on addressing common challenges, and a commitment on both sides to the rules-based international order.
