BERLIN – The European Union is poised to alter its southeast Asia trade policy to deal with individual members of the ASEAN trade alliance rather than with the bloc as a whole, a senior official said Friday.
The German daily Handelsblatt quoted EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton as saying: “The process with ASEAN up to now has been very slow. We must now check how we can move forward quicker with individual countries that are prepared to do so.”
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed with the EU to launch talks on a regionwide free-trade accord in May 2007.
But progress towards clinching a deal has since moved at a glacial pace due to a myriad of problems including European concerns over human rights violations in ASEAN member Myanmar.
Earlier this month, Indonesia’s trade minister Mari Pangetu said ASEAN countries wanted a bloc-to-bloc free-trade pact but that nations were free to negotiate separate deals with the EU.
“If some countries are going to be approached for bilaterals, that’s another issue … that is their right to do it,” she told AFP in an interview.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
An ASEAN-EU free-trade agreement would cover nearly one billion people, making it one of the world’s largest.
According to IMF figures, trade between the EU and ASEAN countries amounted to over 140 billion euros (190 billion dollars), topped only by China.–Agence France-Presse
September 18 –
International Equal Pay Day
“Increase wages now,
more than other cost items.
For widespread, practical equality!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.
Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands
#Report Corruption #SearchPosts #TakePicturesVideos
September –
5 Sept – Intl Day of Charity
7 Sept – Intl Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
8 Sept – International Literacy Day
12 Sept – United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
15 Sept – International Day of Democracy
16 Sept – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
17 Sept – World Patient Safety Day
18 Sept – International Equal Pay Day
21 Sept – International Day of Peace
26 Sept – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
27 Sept – World Tourism Day
28 Sept – International Day for Universal Access to Information
29 Sept – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
30 Sept – World Maritime Day
Monthly Observances:
Health, Safety and Sanitation Month
National Clean-up Month
Civil Service Month
National Peace Consciousness Month
Social Security Month
Rule of Law Month
National Teachers’ Month (Sept 5-Oct 4)
Weekly Observances:
Sept 17 – 23:
World Clean and Green Week
Week 2: Education Week
Week 4: Medicine Week
Last Week: National Family Week
Daily Observances:
Third Saturday:
International Coastal Clean-up Day
Third Monday: World Health Day
Last Friday: National Maritime Day
Sept 8: National Literacy Day
Sept 15: Philippine Medicine Day
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