Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-04-Speech-3-150"
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"en.20020904.5.3-150"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank Members for an interesting debate and for the many kind words and requests received by the Danish Presidency in connection with the preparations for ASEM 4. I would join in the praise of Mr Maaten’s excellent report. I do not entirely agree with his view that the Council has a minimalist approach towards Asia, for it might just as well be said that relations between the EU and Asia have never been stronger than they are today. It must be remembered that all this activity was certainly not a foregone conclusion. It is in itself an achievement that dialogue is taking place, that trade is increasing, that there are more frequent exchanges between us and that human contacts are being further developed at all levels, including the very highest. That is an achievement in itself. It is very important, and vital as well to our economic well-being in this part of the world.
I would mention the first six meetings that are to take place under the Danish Presidency: the big ASEM Meeting, the meetings of business leaders and of ministers of economic affairs, as well as the summits with Japan, China, South Korea and India which are all to take place in Copenhagen during the Presidency. In addition, there is the summit with Japan which has already taken place. Over and above these, there is a range of contacts at ministerial level and among officials. Mr Solana undertook a major visit to four Asian countries in July, participating in the annual ministerial meeting on security cooperation in the ASEAN Regional Forum where, as is well known, the EU makes efforts towards intensifying cooperation and presses for the move to be made from mainly confidence-building measures to what we call preventive diplomacy. Basic conditions such as respect for human rights, the promotion of democracy and the principles of a state based on the rule of law are central themes in the EU’s relations with Asian countries, and I can assure Mr Messner and others that we shall raise the Tibet issue at the summit with China.
The EU is also involved in a range of problems of regional significance such as relations between India and Pakistan, the situation in the Korean Peninsula and developments in Burma. In my view, the activities we have under way are, then, particularly wide-ranging. Nothing just happens of its own accord and there is nothing that is here and now giving rise to tremendously visible practical progress, but relations are slowly but surely improving, and that is of course how cooperation takes place in terms of the larger frame within which Euro-Asian relations must be conducted. If it comes to making a list, there have of course been very many examples of practical progress, some of them of benefit to our citizens.
There is a host of tasks waiting to be carried out, however, and both the Commission Communication and Mr Maaten’s report are very useful tools in this regard. I have also heard Mr Patten say that relations with South-East Asia are an area in which we could well do more. An EU-ASEAN meeting of foreign ministers is planned for January 2003, and this will be a good opportunity to discuss how we can strengthen relations. The communication on relations with South-East Asia, mooted by Mr Patten, may prove to be a valuable contribution to the debate.
I can give an assurance that the Council shares the desire to strengthen relations between the EU and Asia. With all the activities mentioned and with everything which has been said here in Parliament and which, I know, is taken note of in the countries we wish to cooperate with, there is a particularly sound basis for the range of activities we are now getting under way under the Danish Presidency. Finally, I want to say that we shall follow with interest the efforts to arrange another ASEP meeting, or Asia-Europe parliamentary meeting. I myself took part in the first meeting here in Strasbourg, and I look forward to its being possible to arrange something."@en1
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