Making sense of the Asian Century requires a closer look at the “pivotal” role played in the region by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to Shada Islam, head of the Asia Programme at Friends of Europe. Introducing the Friend’s of Europe Policy Spotlight on 14 April 2011, Ms Islam said, “ASEAN matters. It matters to the European Union and it matters to the international community as a whole.”

 

The 10-member ASEAN aims to establish itself as “a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies”.  To transform this vision into a reality and make concrete progress towards creating an ASEAN Community by the 2015 deadline, are key priorities that Indonesia has identified during its year-long presidency of the organization. In the ongoing quest for political, social-cultural and economic integration, Ngurah Swajaya, current chairman of ASEAN’s Committee of Permanent Representatives, believes the ASEAN has much to learn from the European Union (EU).

Many, however, have criticised the EU’s lackluster approach when engaging with ASEAN and Mr. Swajaya, was keen to encourage the EU to step up its level of inter-action with the region. “I hope the EU doesn’t get left behind in contributing to what’s happening in the region,” he warned.

Although the EU still remains one of the largest ASEAN investors and trading partners, talks on an EU-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) ground to a halt two years after they were officially launched, over concerns of persistent human rights abuses in Myanmar. In contrast, economic powerhouses China, Japan and India have all pressed ahead with their own FTAs with ASEAN, completing a web of agreements that cover more than three billion people and account for trillions of dollars worth of trade. The upcoming EU-ASEAN business summit in Jakarta, the first of its kind, was identified as a key opportunity to revitalise relations between the two blocs.

Mr. Swajaya was less forthcoming, however, when pressed on possible EU membership of the East Asian Summit (EAS), a forum convened to discuss broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern. With the inclusion of the United States and Russia bringing membership to 18 states as of this year, Mr. Swajaya argued that the group needs to consolidate before contemplating further expansion to include the EU. “The East Asian Summit is a very important initiative and the ASEAN is the driving force behind it,” he added. “But before we consider expanding further, we must make sure that this is a mechanism which works and which is capable of achieving our priorities of peace, security and prosperity in the region.”

One of the greatest achievements of the past 40 years is the progress the region has made towards peace and security. Created against what Mr. Swajaya described as a “backdrop of suspicion and confrontation”, ASEAN had managed to ensure that “guns have fallen silent in the region”. “There have been skirmishes, but no major conflict,” he added.  For Mr. Swajaya, this stability has played a pivotal role in allowing the bloc to make progress, and he is confident the ASEAN will continue to serve as a “driving force” in the region. “We need to be patient, but we will reach our objectives,” he said.