EU parliament calls for stronger ties with ASEAN

The EU needs a fresh and more comprehensive engagement with the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ranging from counter-terrorism to climate change, the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee said in a vote Thursday. An EP statement said the committee also called for swift ratification of existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with ASEAN countries and for the creation of a formal Euro-ASEAN interparliamentary assembly to improve relations between the two regions. The EU should be an active political partner in ASEAN's pursuit of non-military solutions to key regional security challenges through experience sharing in conflict prevention, resolution and settlement of border and territorial disputes, it said. They also called on the EU to increase its cooperation with ASEAN on disaster prevention and sustainable development in areas such as food security, resource management, agriculture, transport and energy. The committee said the ASEAN region should also be given broader coverage in EU media and EU member states should boost education and broaden cultural ties with ASEAN countries.