Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU Welcoming the Entry into Force of the ASEAN Charter
- On: 16.12.2008
The European Union welcomes the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter.
This document, which defines a new institutional framework, marks an important stage in the process of regional integration in South-East Asia. The Charter will help to deepen economic and trade relations within ASEAN and contribute to regional peace and prosperity. This renewed framework will also enable ASEAN to play a greater political role and further assert itself in the region. As a result, the Charter will help to strengthen development and stability throughout the region.
The European Union shares the common values and principles of ASEAN Member States set out in the Charter, particularly the promotion of democracy and human rights. It welcomes the enshrinement of a mechanism to promote and protect human rights.
This community of values and ASEAN’s institutional developments must encourage us to pursue further deepening of our relations both economically and politically. Therefore, the Charter will serve to reinforce links between the European Union and ASEAN. In this spirit, the European Union and several Member States have already announced their intention to accredit ambassadors to the ASEAN General Secretariat.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process."
- Updated: 29.12.2008
