EU for Asia Brussels Briefing on 16 September - Asia-Europe Meeting: Priorities and Challenges

The ASEM 8 Visibility Team would like to inform you about the following event:

EU for Asia Brussels Briefing

Asia-Europe Meeting: Priorities and Challenges

Thursday, 16 September 2010, 10.30-12.30 (registration & coffee from 10.00)

EPC Conference Room, 155 Rue de la Loi, 1040 Brussels

The European Policy Centre, in cooperation with Leiden University, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, is organising an EU for Asia Brussels Briefing on Asia-Europe Meeting: Priorities and Challenges, on Thursday 16 September from 10.30-12.30.

The eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be held in Brussels on 4-5 October – bringing together 48 Asian and European leaders - offers both regions a unique opportunity to build a stronger and more effective 21^st Century partnership to tackle key global challenges. Leaders will discuss joint action to revive the world economy, review global and regional hotspots and seek ways to tackle sustainable development challenges. In addition, Australia, New Zealand and Russia will be officially welcomed as new ASEM members.

However, in an inter-dependent world, are Asia and Europe ready to sidestep their differences and focus on what binds them? What are the expectations for ASEM 8? Will the meeting succeed in reinforcing the Asia-Europe dialogue?

These and other questions will be discussed by a panel including Thomas Roe, Asia Adviser and ASEM Counselor at the European Commission, Bertrand de Crombrugghe, Belgian Ambassador and Head of the ASEM 8 Task Force, Enrique A. Manalo, Ambassador of Philippines’ Mission to the European Union, Norio Maruyama, Head of the Political Affairs Section of the Japanese Mission to the European Union, and Christopher Dent, Professor at Leeds University. In addition, Lay Hwee Yeo, Director of the EU Centre in Singapore and Wilhelm Hofmeister, Regional Programme Director of KAS’s "Political Dialogue Asia" will present the contents of their new book The Asia-Europe Meeting: Engagement, Enlargement and Expectations. The debate will be moderated by Shada Islam, EPC Senior Programme Executive. A sandwich lunch will be served after the meeting.

To attend this meeting, please register with g.egberts@epc.eu