Agenda highlights
Two regions, one family
Since 1996, ASEM has become established as the prime forum for contact and convergence between Asia and Europe. Today the ASEM partners – the twenty-five European Union Member States, the European Commission, the ten ASEAN member states, and three Northeast-Asian nations – account for 40% of the world's population and 50% of global GDP. The maturity of the forum makes ASEM a unique opportunity for leaders from Asia and Europe to meet in an informal setting and engage in a frank exchange of views, even on sensitive topics.
ASEM InfoBoard
Supporting a multilateral approach
The Summit, committed to supporting a fair, just, and rule-based international system with the United Nations at its centre, addressed a broad security agenda including prevention of terrorism, organised crime and global health threats. The Summit discussed the state-of-play with regard to the WTO talks and sought to complement and reinforce efforts to bring the negotiations on the WTO Doha Development Agenda to a successful conclusion.
ASEM InfoBoard
Promoting intercultural dialogue
ASEM promotes better mutual understanding between the peoples of Europe and Asia. The Summit approved the Cultural Action Plan adopted at the ASEM Cultural Ministers' Meeting in Paris in 2005. The Summit also signalled continued support for the ASEM Interfaith Dialogue as well as for the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), which organises intellectual, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and conferences.
Joint declaration on climate change
Asia and Europe strive to enhance sustainable development and the quality of life. With this goal in mind, the Summit issued an action-oriented joint declaration on climate change. The aim of the declaration is to contribute to multilateral efforts to meet present and future commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol. The declaration also sets out to foster progress on complementary work in other forums concerned with stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Ministry of the Environment: Curbing climate change
European Commission: Climate Change
ASEM is for the people
ASEM is not just about inter-governmental cooperation; it is also a bottom-up process. Several ASEM events were organised to ensure the active involvement of different stakeholders and enable them to get their messages across to the ASEM 6 Summit. These included the 4th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), the 6th Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF), the 10th Asia-Europe Business Forum (AEBF), and the Asia-Europe Trade Union Summit.
Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF)
10th Asia-Europe Business Forum (AEBF)
Fourth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP)
Looking to the future
ASEM 6 marked the tenth anniversary of ASEM cooperation. One of the ways in which the Summit celebrated this milestone was by looking ahead. The Summit adopted the Helsinki Declaration on the Future of ASEM. This declaration aims to consolidate and further develop the Asia-Europe dialogue, emphasising ASEM's two-fold importance as a tool to promote effective multilateral cooperation, and as a catalyst complementing other relevant cooperation processes. The text, together with an action-oriented, detailed annex, outlines the key policy areas on which ASEM should focus in the future. The ASEM 6 Summit made a decision on ASEM's next enlargement and invited new partners from both Europe and Asia to join the process.
