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Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)

What is ASEM?

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is a process of dialogue and cooperation involving 16 Asian countries and the ASEAN Secretariat along with the 27 European Union (EU) member states and the European Commission (EC). ASEM links Asia and Europe by facilitating discussion on political, economic and cultural relations.

ASEM was conceived by Singapore and France in 1994 and the first Summit meeting was held in Bangkok in March 1996. The process was created to connect Asia and Europe and help raise awareness between the two regions, coordinate multilateral policies where possible, generate initiatives, open up opportunities for trade and investment and promote the development of civil society networks.

Initially consisting of the 15 EU member states, 10 ASEAN member states, plus China, Japan, Korea, and the European Commission, ASEM was first enlarged at its Fifth Summit in 2004, where both new European and ASEAN member states became part of the process. The subsequent round of ASEM enlargement in 2007 brought in India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Romania, Bulgaria and the ASEAN Secretariat, increasing the grouping to a total of 45 partners.

Australia and ASEM

Australia applied for membership of ASEM in October 2008. At their meeting in Hanoi in May 2009, ASEM Foreign Ministers welcomed Australia's application and asked senior officials to prepare the way for Australia to formally join ASEM at the next Leaders' Summit to be hosted by Belgium in 2010.

Participation in ASEM will strengthen Australia's engagement and integration with Asia, and aligns with the Australia's commitment to a new era of engagement with Europe, including through increased cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia's membership will also expand the scope for cooperation on important issues on ASEM's agenda, including the global economic crisis, sustainable development, the Millennium Development Goals, climate change and energy security, as well as country-specific situations such as Iran, Burma, Afghanistan and North Korea.

Membership of ASEM will also provide another avenue through which to promote Australia's interests on issues such as disarmament, counter-terrorism, financial reform and the Doha Round of world trade negotiations.