With strengthened EU-Thai relations in a freshly minted Partnership and Cooperation Agreement on the sidelines of the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, continued dialogue and cooperation with Thai stakeholders will be key to implementing the EU’s strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.

In this spirit, the second in a series of public forums by the EU Delegation to Thailand (EUD) and think tank Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS Thailand) will be carried out on 17 January 2023 from 13.30 to 15.30. This time fully in-person in Room 105 of Maha Chulalongkorn at Chulalongkorn University, the talk will cover recent developments in EU-ASEAN relations, strategic interests of the blocs and the outlook of their collaboration.

‘Assessing EU-ASEAN Cooperation in the New Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific: Commonalities, Challenges and Prospects’ comes at an opportune time to reflect on EU-ASEAN collaboration in the Indo-Pacific while also analysing EU-Thai relations within this regional context. Its timing is only a month after the first-ever summit between the EU and ASEAN in Brussels, where leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order and multilateralism.

In a push to step up its strategic partnership with ASEAN, the EU has been accelerating its infrastructure investments across the region in a Team Europe approach, recently announcing the mobilisation of EUR 10 billion for South-East Asia through the Global Gateway.

A diverse range of participants is expected to turn out to the public forum, including diplomats and government officials; students, researchers and other academics; and representatives from international organisations and foundations, civil society and the private sector. All will be invited to participate in an open forum at the end of the session, which will feature speakers from the EU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, along with political scientists from Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University.

Pre-registration is required and can be submitted via the online form here before 13 January 2023 at 12.00 (Bangkok).