Asean-EU partnership vital in navigating global shifts, says EU envoy

Free Malaysia Today

24-05-2025

Rafael Daerr says the Asean Community Vision 2045, set to be launched at the regional bloc's summit next week, will allow the EU to identify new areas of cooperation with Asean.
PETALING JAYA : Rafael Daerr, the European Union (EU) ambassador to Malaysia, is calling on Asean and the EU—two of the world's most successful regional blocs— to strengthen their cooperation to navigate a rapidly fragmented global landscape.
Speaking with FMT, Daerr acknowledged Asean's growing presence on the world stage.
'If you just look at the upcoming summit and how many people will be coming and who is coming, it's a testament to the importance and to the convening power of Asean,' he said.
Daerr said Asean and the EU, which together represent over one billion people, were 'natural partners' and powerful convening forces on the global stage.
'We are, I would say, families of countries that are very similar.
'Most of us are middle power countries and we all depend on frameworks of regional and international cooperation that provide predictable, rules-based environments for us to cooperate,' he said.
Daerr said, as regional entities, Asean and the EU provide stability and predictability, allowing small and middle powers to navigate geopolitical tensions without being caught between larger forces.
He said the EU has long recognised the value of regional cooperation and how vital it is for neighbouring countries to be able to engage and work together.
'We have always supported Asean initiatives in various fields, because regional cooperation has been in our DNA for 80 years,' said Daerr.
Recognising that trust is fostered through dialogue and in-person discussions, Daerr said the EU is looking to deepen its ties with Asean by elevating engagement to the highest levels of leadership.
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'I have been lobbying for us to get as many high level interlocutors to Malaysia in the coming year, to have dialogues at a very high level.
'What we want is to continue the engagements we have between the EU and Asean at all levels, not just through senior officials' meetings but also through ministerial engagements and meetings between heads of state and government,' he said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recognised the EU's increasing commitment to a more active and strategic engagement.
Speaking to the media, he said Asean can strengthen its economic resilience to changes in the US tariff policy by deepening ties with the EU and other key partners.
Future cooperation
Daerr said bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), entered between the EU and several Asean nations, were pragmatic steps toward the long-term goal of an inter-regional EU-Asean trade deal.
He said the present agreements, tailored to suit the unique economic landscape of each country, provide a flexible approach to doing business as Asean pursues internal integration.
'At this stage, negotiating bilateral FTAs is clearly more beneficial for both partners, because you can adapt each and every agreement to the needs and requirements of the country and also the state of the economy.
'So I think this is definitely, in the short term, the most fruitful way forward, a stepping stone toward our long-term goal of a region-to-region agreement,' he said.
The EU already has agreements in force with Singapore and Vietnam and is at various stages of negotiations with Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, talks with Malaysia were formally relaunched earlier this year following Anwar's visit to Brussels, with the first round of negotiations scheduled for the middle of this year.
Daerr said the EU was also looking forward to the launch of the Asean Community Vision 2045 at the summit on May 26 and 27, viewing it as a key reference point for identifying new areas of cooperation and as a compass to guide Asean's work over the next two decades.