Asean economic ministers to meet on 10-year strategy, restart of EU talks

At the Asean Senior Economic Officials Meeting to be held in Vientiane from January 19-21, officials will call for a high-level taskforce to brainstorm on the next steps after regional integration, Sirinart Jaimun, director-general of the Thai Commerce Ministry’s Trade Negotiations Department, said yesterday. 

At the meeting, Asean members will follow up on the remaining plans under the AEC Blueprint 2015, discuss a Strategic Action Plan, and continue drawing up the AEC Blueprint 2025, which is a 10-year strategy for strengthening the Asean Economic Community (AEC). 

Moreover, the meeting will discuss issues regarding trade and investment relations between Asean and the EU, and plan for a resumption of talks between the two regions that have been suspended for many years.

Sirinart said Asean officials needed to prepare information and update details on trade and investment and other issues before continuing the talks with the EU in the near future.

This month’s meeting will also discuss details of the Regional Compre-hensive Economic Partnership and Asean FTAs with other trading partners such as Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan and South Korea.

In addition, Asean officers will call for working committees on follow-up tasks and cooperation in 15 sectors. The sub-panels will look at such things as financial and monetary issues, customs, small and medium-sized enterprises, energy, transport and telecommunications, so that Asean can eliminate trade barriers in each sector and tighten cooperation.