Strategies for the ARF

The overall Asia Strategy of the EU, with specific emphasis on security

In this section, I would first like to talk more generally about our strategy towards Asia in general and Southeast Asia in particular. Thereafter, I will see to more specifically what we are doing with regards to security in the region. When the European Commission published its new policy paper under the title "Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships", on September, 4th, 2001, nobody knew that the whole global situation was going to change only one week later. When we started discussing the paper with the Member States, questions were raised about the validity of our approach as it had overlooked the changes that these events were likely to bring on the international scene. But despite the understandable uncertainties felt last autumn, we maintained the main thrust of our analysis and strategy. Adjustments to our strategy and resource allocations were necessary in order to include contributions to the international efforts against terrorism. I trust however that a lot of what we are saying in this document is totally relevant to combating not only the symptoms but more importantly the very roots of terrorism as well as diminishing the likelihood of its occurrence in Asia. The Council in its December 2001 resolution on the Asia Strategy accepted this view but has demanded that the strategy be revisited no later than 2004. The Commission would have preferred a longer time frame and to concentrate our energy towards developing sub-regional strategies. The Commission had produced a first "Asia Strategy" paper in 1994, which was titled "Towards a New Asia Strategy": It was an early attempt to take an integrated and balanced view of the relations between the EU and its Asian partners. But since 1994, wide-ranging changes have occurred not only in Asia and Europe, but also in the world at large, particularly with the unprecedented speed of globalisation that profoundly affects developments in both regions. That is why we had realised that we must move beyond just 'trade and aid' towards a partnership of equals with Asia.

Hence, the four key points of the new Communication of September 2002 were:

• We recognise the great diversity of Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
• But in acknowledging that diversity, we set one clear core objective to guide the future development of EU-Asia relations into the coming decade: we must focus on strengthening the EU's political and economic presence across the region, and raise this to a level commensurate with the growing global weight of an enlarged EU.
• We moved from a strategy based on 'aid and trade' towards recognition of the importance of a fast developing Asia for the EU. The new strategy encompasses and strikes a better balance between the economic, political, social and cultural elements. It fully recognises how much Asia matters to us.
• We recognise that Asian countries are crucial political partners for the EU and seek to establish alliances with them in addressing both opportunities and challenges arising from globalisation.

The strategy proposes six objectives:

1. The first one may be the one which is the most relevant to us here today: To contribute to peace and security in the region and thus globally: that is what EU has been doing in East Timor and in the Korean Peninsula; that is why relations with China and India are crucial and why we are mainstreaming conflict prevention in our co-operation programmes with Indonesia; that is also why the EU should play an even more pro-active role in regional fora like the ARF.
2. To further strengthen our mutual trade and investment flows with the region and our dialogue on economic and financial policy. In 2000, Asia was our third largest regional trading partner and the fourth-largest regional investment destination for the EU.
3. To promote the development of the less prosperous countries of the region, addressing the root causes of poverty. Europe and its Member States provide about 30% of all foreign external development assistance to Asia.
4. To contribute to the protection of Human Rights and to the spreading of democracy, good governance and the rule of law;
5. To build global partnerships and alliances with Asian countries, in appropriate international fora, to help addressing both the challenges and the opportunities offered by globalisation, and to strengthen our joint efforts on global environmental and security issues like climate change, migration and terrorism.
6. To help strengthen the awareness of Europe in Asia and vice versa. The opening of new Commission delegations in Asia is an example of concrete action to achieve this objective. The Commission is indeed preparing for the opening of new Delegations in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Nepal, and of a representative trade office in Taiwan. Other actions are the promotion of exchanges in education, culture and science as well as fostering inter-regional civil society contacts.

These six objectives set in the Commission's Strategy were broadly endorsed by the EU General Affairs Council in December 2001. As regards the first objective, we are well aware that the EU is limited within foreign policy - to Aid, Trade, a nascent CFSP and a future ESDP, that's all. However, our own limitations, for instance in our difficulties to achieve a truly European foreign policy, can to a certain extent be regarded as assets when looking at our image in Asia. Our own diversity is reassuring: Europe can be seen by Asians as a soft power with no specific strategic interest and posing no threat to the region or any of its countries. As regards Asia, there is no doubt that the EU is actively supporting counter terrorist efforts under the auspices of the UN but also in fora such as ASEM and ARF. Our record in implementing UNSCR 1373 on counter terrorism is impressive. We welcome the creation of an ARF Inter-sessional Meeting on counter terrorism and stand prepared to contribute actively to achieving concrete results in this framework. One of the ideas to pursue in this context is the prevention of financing of terrorism. However, the overwhelming priority given to the fight against terrorism should not be interpreted by some of our Asian partners as a licence granted by default to oppress political opponents or groups seeking regional autonomy in a peaceful manner. Our willingness to combat terrorism is clear and testified by a considerable catalogue of concrete measures taken by EU governments and institutions in the last 12 months, or by the long term commitment made by the EU to the reconstruction of Afghanistan in what we hope will be a lasting security/development aid partnership with the US. Equally clear must however remain our commitment to promote Human Rights and Democracy as a basis for our relations with Asian countries. Asian partners must be left in no doubt that our common struggle against terrorism has not overridden our fundamental commitment to the universal values of Human Rights and Democracy. Let us now focus on security: there are several fora where security is discussed: bilaterally, regionally and multilaterally. One is ASEM, with the fourth ASEM Summit of Heads of States and Governments that took place in Copenhagen in September 2002. In this unique Asia Europe dialogue framework, we try to maintain equilibrium between the political, economic and cultural pillars of our relation. Security-related issues have taken on a bigger role lately. As an example, the summit had a session devoted to "The International Situation in the Aftermath of September 11, New Security Issues and Recent Regional Developments". Among the issues discussed were the challenges posed by the new and non-traditional security issues, including root causes for international terrorism and counter measures after September 11th and the experience of and prospects for deepening regional integration in Asia and Europe. During that session, the Heads of State and Government adopted the ASEM Copenhagen Declaration and Cooperation Programme on Fighting Terrorism, which will, inter alia, lead to an ASEM conference on counter-terrorism in 2003. Furthermore, Asian and European leaders met for the first time in an informal retreat to discuss Cultures and Civilisations under the Summit motto "Unity in Diversity". This enabled leaders to address freely issues like the root causes of terrorism and their eradication and was very appreciated by the participants. But it is of course first and foremost in ARF that security will be discussed.