International Cooperation

Cooperation with South East Asia

Europe and Southeast Asia are two key players in today's global economy who have much in common. Their population are nearly identical in terms of size, they have both moved towards regional economic integration, and they share many of the same values. It is therefore quite logical that, for over 30 years, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have enjoyed an increasingly positive and fruitful dialogue.

The Nuremberg Declaration on an EU-ASEAN Partnership of 15 March 2007 (released with a joint Plan of Action) recognises the importance of Southeast Asia as a region, and calls for the deepening of the level of cooperation, including science and technology, between the <<<eu and ASEAN. On November 22, 2007, in Singapore, on the occasion of the first-ever EU-ASEAN Summit, a Joint Declaration was signed, endorsing in particular the Plan of Action.

Strengthening cooperation on ICT research between Europe and ASEAN countries is an objective supported by DG Information Society and Media since many years, namely through FP6 support actions (GAPFILL, ENGAGE, BASIC) and FP7 ones (SEACOOP, SEALING, SECAS).

The FP7 SEALING support action involves in its partnership national organisations in each of the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and will develop a set of activities over the period 2010-2011, among which:

• Identification and analysis of ICT policy and research priorities, at bilateral and regional levels, and provision of recommendations for future cooperation initiatives
• Organization of cooperation events in Europe and in Southeast Asia synchronised whenever possible with policy dialogue meetings
• Development of synergies with dialogues and activities launched under EU-funded programmes, at the initiative of EU Member States and Associated States, and at the ASEAN Level
• Development of promotion, dissemination and awareness-raising activities

The FP7 SECAS support action should also be noted here. It aims, over the period 2010-2011, at improving European research collaboration in ICT with the both Singapore and Australia based on the identification and demonstration of mutual interest in S&T co-operation and the sharing of best-practices.