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
October –
Monthly Observances:
Industry and Commerce Safety Month
National Statistics Month
Local Government Month
Consumer Welfare Month
Cooperative Month
National Quality and Productivity Improvement Month
National Health and Wellness Tourism Month
National Indigenous Peoples Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 1: Elderly Filipino Week
Week 2: National Health Education Week
Local Government Week
National Mental Health Week
October 17-23:
National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty
October 18 – 24:
United Nations Week
Last Week:
Nurses’ Week
Consumers’ Protection Week
Week of the 4th Sunday:
Barrio Farmers’ Week
Daily Observances:
First Monday (Oct 4): Universal Children’s Day i
n the Philippines
Oct 5: National Teachers’ Day
Oct 10: Local Government Day
Third Thursday (Oct 14): Conflict Resolution Day
Oct 21: Tenants’ Emancipation day
Oct 24: United Nations Day
Oct 29: National Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Day
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