The EU as a Source of Inspiration
What role does the European Union take on in ASEAN’s integration process? This question was at the core of IFAIR’s online workshop “EU-ASEAN Perspectives”, which brought together 12 young researchers and professionals from Europe and Southeast Asia. The participants found that while ASEAN does look at EU policies for inspiration, it does not strive to copy-and-paste the European experience.
What role does the European Union take on in ASEAN’s integration process? This question was at the core of IFAIR’s online workshop “EU-ASEAN Perspectives”, which brought together 12 young researchers and professionals from Europe and Southeast Asia. The participants found that while ASEAN does look at EU policies for inspiration, it does not strive to copy-and-paste the European experience.
1. Moving forward in regional integration
After the Asian Financial Crisis, the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) committed to establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015, comprising economic, security and socio-cultural cooperation. This turn towards a more rules-based mode of regionalism contrasted with ASEAN’s original informal, sovereignty-retaining ASEAN Way which earned it the demoting title of a “talking shop” in Western diplomatic circles.
Most progress has been achieved in the economic pillar which is meant to have a single market and production base at its core. Despite the allusion to the European single market, ASEAN does neither aim at defining a common external tariff nor to empower regional institutions to enforce regional policies. Moreover, the four freedoms are limited to the free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and freer flow of capital. Slowly but surely does the so-called ASEAN Economic Community take shape.
2. Adoption in line with national interests
The European Union (EU) played a crucial role in jump-starting the regional economic policy making in ASEAN by serving as a reference point. Through technical assistance ASEAN member states have been familiarized with EU policies in various fields, such as product regulation, customs, competition policy and intellectual property rights. Yet, instead of uniform adoption the ASEAN member states incorporate the models into their regional policy portfolio very selectively. In fact, they use EU policies strategically to advance their national interests: the policies are assessed against alternative approaches and are adapted in case the EU policy blueprint clashes with national sovereignty concerns or exceeds the capacities of local business actors and government bodies. These adaptations are necessary to enable effective implementation in the ASEAN member states!
3. The EU’s unique selling point
However, the EU has more to offer than experience in market integration. It is endowed with a comparative advantage vis-àvis other dialogue partners: the EU member states faced similar challenges as the ASEAN countries do today when they tried to develop modes of regional cooperation. Particularly in areas without supranational authority the EU may serve as valuable reference point in institution building and policy making. A case in point may be cooperation in the field of soft security which encompasses non-military, social, political and economic potential threats to security. Such an initiative would tie in with the ASEAN member states’ growing attempts to discuss non-traditional security issues at the regional level.
So far the EU provided technical assistance in disaster and epidemics management. The sharing of best practices should be extended to further policy fields characterized by trans-boundary externalities. Moreover the EU and its member countries have rich experience in levelling gaps of socio-economic development within and across member states. This know-how should be used to accelerate convergence within ASEAN. Finally the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) has proven effective in facilitating learning among European countries. As a non-hierarchical mode of cooperation the OMC may equally contribute to lesson-drawing in ASEAN.
By widening the scope of cooperation the EU may help ASEAN shape the two non-economic pillars of the ASEAN Community while broadening its own foreign political profile.
by Imke Pente
The author is in the completion stage of her doctorate degree in political science at the Freie Universität Berlin. In her dissertation she analyzes the regional economic integration process in Southeast Asia and explores the conditions under which EU policies enter ASEAN’s policy portfolio. She is a member of the Impact Group “EU-ASEAN Perspectives.
This article, as well as a German version of it, was also published at the Diplomatic Magazine/Diplomatisches Magazin.
1. Moving forward in regional integration
After the Asian Financial Crisis, the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) committed to establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015, comprising economic, security and socio-cultural cooperation. This turn towards a more rules-based mode of regionalism contrasted with ASEAN’s original informal, sovereignty-retaining ASEAN Way which earned it the demoting title of a “talking shop” in Western diplomatic circles.
Most progress has been achieved in the economic pillar which is meant to have a single market and production base at its core. Despite the allusion to the European single market, ASEAN does neither aim at defining a common external tariff nor to empower regional institutions to enforce regional policies. Moreover, the four freedoms are limited to the free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and freer flow of capital. Slowly but surely does the so-called ASEAN Economic Community take shape.
2. Adoption in line with national interests
The European Union (EU) played a crucial role in jump-starting the regional economic policy making in ASEAN by serving as a reference point. Through technical assistance ASEAN member states have been familiarized with EU policies in various fields, such as product regulation, customs, competition policy and intellectual property rights. Yet, instead of uniform adoption the ASEAN member states incorporate the models into their regional policy portfolio very selectively. In fact, they use EU policies strategically to advance their national interests: the policies are assessed against alternative approaches and are adapted in case the EU policy blueprint clashes with national sovereignty concerns or exceeds the capacities of local business actors and government bodies. These adaptations are necessary to enable effective implementation in the ASEAN member states!
3. The EU’s unique selling point
However, the EU has more to offer than experience in market integration. It is endowed with a comparative advantage vis-àvis other dialogue partners: the EU member states faced similar challenges as the ASEAN countries do today when they tried to develop modes of regional cooperation. Particularly in areas without supranational authority the EU may serve as valuable reference point in institution building and policy making. A case in point may be cooperation in the field of soft security which encompasses non-military, social, political and economic potential threats to security. Such an initiative would tie in with the ASEAN member states’ growing attempts to discuss non-traditional security issues at the regional level.
So far the EU provided technical assistance in disaster and epidemics management. The sharing of best practices should be extended to further policy fields characterized by trans-boundary externalities. Moreover the EU and its member countries have rich experience in levelling gaps of socio-economic development within and across member states. This know-how should be used to accelerate convergence within ASEAN. Finally the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) has proven effective in facilitating learning among European countries. As a non-hierarchical mode of cooperation the OMC may equally contribute to lesson-drawing in ASEAN.
By widening the scope of cooperation the EU may help ASEAN shape the two non-economic pillars of the ASEAN Community while broadening its own foreign political profile.
by Imke Pente
The author is in the completion stage of her doctorate degree in political science at the Freie Universität Berlin. In her dissertation she analyzes the regional economic integration process in Southeast Asia and explores the conditions under which EU policies enter ASEAN’s policy portfolio. She is a member of the Impact Group “EU-ASEAN Perspectives.
This article, as well as a German version of it, was also published at the Diplomatic Magazine/Diplomatisches Magazin.
