A First ASEM Ministerial Meeting

B Co-operation Agreement between EC and ASEAN

1 International Developments

A First ASEM Ministerial Meeting

The first Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM), covering the EU, ASEAN, South Korea, China and Japan, was held in February in Singapore. This ministerial-level meeting gathered 25 EU and Asian Foreign Ministers, who discussed the progress made since the first ASEM summit in March 1996 in Bangkok and scheduled the next summit for April 1998 in London.

The main points of discussion were private sector cooperation programmes; the human rights issue (a particularly difficult item on ASEM's agenda) and ASEM enlargement to include Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Russia and Eastern Europe. It was agreed, in relation to the question of enlargement, that Asian countries should decide on the accession of Asian countries and the EU should decide on the accession of European countries. Negotiations concerning the accession of Australia and New Zealand are ongoing.

B Co-operation Agreement between EC and ASEAN

The Co-operation Agreement between the EC and ASEAN was extended by way of a Protocol to include Vietnam.¹ This will not affect the Co-operation Agreement between the EC and Vietnam signed on 17 July 1995.

1 OJ 1997 C 95/41.

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