EC Hosts Meeting to Foster Asia-Europe Cooperation on Energy Security

June 17, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS

Topics for the meeting, to be hosted by European Union (EU) commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner (external relations and European neighborhood policy) and Andris Piebalgs (energy), include improving energy policies, sustainable energy choices, and global energy markets and trade.

Based on the seventh ASEM summit in Beijing last year as well as on the Energy Security Forum held in Hanoi in April 2008, participants will look into possible ways for enhancing Asia-Europe cooperation to address common energy security challenges. At the same time, ministers will work on preparations for the eighth ASEM summit in October 2010 in Brussels.

"ASEM has been a most valuable forum of discussion and exchange between the EU and Asia over the last 13 years. This first energy ministerial in the ASEM process will open a new chapter in our dialogue and will help us to address various aspects of the energy security challenge," said Ferrero-Waldner.

"We have started some valuable work following the successful 2008 Beijing summit, and I am convinced that we can do more together to tackle global challenges - including energy security - in a context of economic crisis. Therefore, I am convinced that questions of energy security but also of sustainable development are going to play a central role in the preparations for and also during next year's EU-ASEM summit here in Brussels."

"Next year's summit in Brussels will be a welcome occasion for developing further our debate on energy security, taking account of the economic crisis, developing countries' situation, and the global threats to the environment and climate change."

On energy policies, Piebalgs said, "Energy security, climate change and economic crisis are global problems that demand global solutions. Europe and Asia have much to gain if we work together to change together the energy paradigm towards a more sustainable secure and competitive system.''

Background
ASEM has been the main multilateral channel for communication and dialogue between Asia and Europe since 1996. As one of the four "coordinators" of ASEM, the European Commission (EC) underpins the process. ASEM involves virtually the whole of Asia and Europe. The 45 ASEM partners represent half of the world's gross domestic product, almost 60% of the world's population and 60% of global trade.

Members of ASEM are the 27 EU member states, the EC, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat, ASEAN member states, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan and Mongolia.

India, Cambodia, the EU presidency and the EC are the four ASEM coordinators. ASEM summits are biennial events, and these meetings of ASEM foreign ministers occur in the intervening years to ensure the momentum of ASEM.

Every year, over 50 other ASEM meetings are held concerning widespread sectors, such as transport, immigration, trade, financial regulation, economic policy, education, energy, environment, development policies, culture and civilizations, counter-terrorism, demining, other security issues, labor and employment, information technology, and many other issues - as well as political dialogue.

As another follow-up to the Beijing ASEM summit and in preparation of the eighth ASEM summit in Brussels, the EC will sponsor a high-level ASEM Development Conference in 2010 in Europe to address future development policy for Asia in the context of evolving global economic and regulatory challenges.

For more information, see the EU's web site for the The Asia-Europe Meeting.

Source: European Commission (EC).