B4-0296, 0299, 0300, 0303, 0305 and 0311/98

Resolution on the ASEM process (Europe-Asia relations)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the final declaration signed at the first ASEM Heads of State meeting in Bangkok in March 1996,

- having regard to the declarations of ASEM Ministers of Foreign Relations (Singapore, February 1997), Ministers of Finance (Bangkok, September 1997) and Economic Ministers (Tokyo, September 1997),

- having regard to the Commission Communication to the Council 'Towards a New Asia Strategy¨ (COM(94)0314 - C4-0092/94),

- having regard to its resolutions on Asia and EU-Asia relations, including those on forest fires and air pollution,

A. whereas the second ASEM Heads of State meeting will take place in London on 3 and 4 April 1998,

B. whereas the ASEM process brings together the governments of 25 countries representing more than half the world's GDP,

C. whereas the first ASEM Heads of State meeting decided to foster political dialogue, reinforce economic cooperation and promote cooperation in the social and cultural fields,

D. whereas the economic elements of the ASEM process have developed more rapidly than the political, social and cultural elements; whereas, as part of the process, an Asia-Europe Business Forum has been created, an Investment Promotion Action Plan (IPAP) and a Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP) have been drafted and are expected to be signed by Heads of State in April, and an ongoing discussion has been taking place between the ASEM Member States on the World Trade Organization (WTO),

E. whereas the ASEM process is intended to complement rather than replace or reduce existing bilateral and multilateral relationships, such as the ASEAN-EU dialogue, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC),

F. whereas the Heads of State meeting is taking place against the background of a serious economic and financial crisis in Asia; whereas OECD estimates show that Europe is at risk of suffering economically from the consequences of this crisis if recovery in Asia is not swift and sustainable,

G. whereas European States have been the biggest contributors to the unprecedentedly large IMF loans to a number of the Asian countries in crisis; whereas doubts have emerged about the conditions attached to these loans,

H. noting the lack of visibility in Asia of the EU¨s actions on the financial crisis,

I. whereas the enforced return of migrant workers to the region and rising unemployment as a result of bankruptcies are consequences of this crisis which are already generating increasing poverty and hardship and could create further serious social and political troubles in the Asian region,

J. whereas any evaluation of the causes of the Asian crisis should apportion the burden of responsibility among the business and government elites in the region, Asian banks, international investors and currency speculators,

K. whereas the Heads of State meeting is also taking place against the background of the destruction by fire of tropical forests, causing severe environmental damage in the area,

1. Welcomes the development of the ASEM process and hopes that the London meeting will strengthen cooperation, deepen political dialogue and further develop the multi-dimensionality of the process, by agreeing on key objectives and on an accompanying framework programme for ASEM activities until the third summit in Seoul in 2000;

2. Notes that the success of the ASEM process has generated considerable interest among Asian and European members; considers that, while any enlargement of ASEM would have to take place by consensus, and any Asian enlargement would have to be initially an Asian proposal, countries from South Asia and Oceania should be considered for participation in the third Heads of State meeting in Seoul;

3. Supports the EU's view that membership of ASEAN and membership of ASEM should not automatically go hand in hand; hopes, in the case of Burma, that the ASEM summit will encourage and push for political dialogue in that country between the authorities and the democratic opposition;

Economic Cooperation

4. Recognizes the importance of the growing trade and investment between Europe and Asia and fully supports the adoption of measures within the ASEM process to promote these goals in the context of open regionalism;

5. Considers however that sustainable trade, investment and economic development cannot be achieved in the absence of the development of democracy, the rule of law, civil society and human rights, and takes the view that shortcomings in democratic development and the consequent lack of transparency was one of the major reasons for the advent of the economic and financial crisis in Asia;

6. Believes, therefore, that this crisis provides an opportunity to reassess the nature of economic cooperation between Europe and Asia and to base it more firmly on common principles including the fight against poverty, good governance, respect for fundamental rights and the environment as well as free trade and respect for the world trade order; calls on the ASEM Vision Group, due to be launched at the London summit, to make use of this opportunity;

7. Regrets that the drafts of TFAP and IPAP contain no mention of these principles and calls on the ASEM Member States to integrate democracy, fundamental rights, the environment and the fight against poverty into the principles and objectives of both these plans;

8. Calls on the ASEM Member States to use the opportunity afforded by the London summit to consider proposals from Asian and European governments concerning ways in which the international economic and financial system can be regulated internationally in order to prevent a recurrence of the sort of crisis Asia is currently experiencing, and in particular the following:

- reform of the international financial institutions to promote greater transparency in their actions and analyses and an enhanced monitoring role,

- improved regulation of the banking sector and controls over short-term lending,

- consideration of international mechanisms to discourage short-term currency speculation;

9. Takes the view that the implementation of the third stage of EMU will contribute to transparency in economic relations between the two regions and greater international monetary stability;

Political Dialogue

10. Welcomes the commitment expressed by ASEM Heads of State in Bangkok to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and to the Declarations of the UN Conferences in Rio, Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing;

11. Takes the view that the political dialogue cannot avoid tackling the gap, regarding these commitments, between theory and practice if cooperation is to proceed on a sound footing;

12. In the light of the WTO Ministerial Summit in May and the ILO Conference in June, calls on the ASEM Member States to declare their support for a strengthening of the ILO¨s monitoring mechanisms in order to enable it to play the role envisaged for it at the WTO Ministerial summit in Singapore in December 1996; calls on all ASEM Member States who have not done so to ratify the core ILO conventions at the earliest opportunity;

13. Calls on all ASEM Member States who have not done so to ratify the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

14. Welcomes the inclusion of the so-called 'new¨ security issues (environment and international crime) on the agenda of the London summit;

15. Welcomes the ASEAN initiative for a nuclear weapons-free zone in South-East Asia;

16. Reiterates its call for an effective European Code of Conduct on arms sales to be agreed by the EU Member States, bearing in mind its potential contribution to good governance and respect for human rights in Asia;

17. Notes that the Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore in February 1997 agreed that sensitive subjects should not be excluded from the political dialogue, and calls for the partners also to use bilateral meetings and informal meetings to discuss human rights;

18. Believes that the visibility of the EU's economic and financial role could be enhanced by the appointment of a Special Envoy to the region;

19. Recalling the first Asia-Europe parliamentary meeting (ASEP), believes that parliamentary dialogue is an essential element of any political dialogue and, in this regard, calls for a clear role for the European Parliament and the national parliaments of Asia in the ASEM process to be further developed at the London summit, one which provides for involvement in forthcoming negotiations and discussion as well as consultation on their results;

Social and Cultural Cooperation

20. Welcomes the inauguration of the Asia-Europe Foundation in Singapore in February 1997 and encourages it to support activities promoting the kind of people-to-people exchanges between Asian and European civil societies which will strengthen both;

21. Also supports the establishment of a Europe-Asia dialogue on scientific and technological issues;

22. Welcomes the Thai proposal for the creation of an Asia-Europe Centre on environmental technology and the inclusion in the agenda of the follow-up to the Kyoto Conference on climate change as two steps towards upgrading sustainable development in Euro-Asian relations;

23. Supports the new initiatives on the struggle against sexual exploitation of children and the preservation of cultural heritage due to be launched at the London summit;

24. Welcomes the organization by European and Asian NGOs of a series of events parallel to the official summit, including a conference on trade and investment;

25. Urges NGOs in both regions to be allowed a formal input into the ASEM process and, in particular, to the Vision Group, which must take account of the impact of Asia-Europe cooperation on trade unions, women, migrant workers, young people and the environment in both regions;

26. Bearing in mind the Asian financial crisis, its causes and its social consequences, considers that this input has become a matter of urgency;

27. Asks for greater attention to be given to the recent and continuing fires in Indonesia and points to the importance of the inclusion within the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) of criteria for sustainable forest management; therefore calls once again on the Asian governments to take into account the delicate environmental balance in their regions, the rights of indigenous peoples and the severe threat of fires to public health;

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council and the governments and parliaments of the ASEM Member States.