The ASEAN-EU Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) held its 21st meeting inJakarta, Indonesia on January 24, with the aim of discussing measures toenhance their cooperation and dialogue partnership in the time to come.

Delegates agreed that since the adoptionof the 2013-2017 Bandar Seri Begawan Plan of Action to strengthen theASEAN-EU enhanced partnership in April 2012 and the EU's accession tothe ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in July 2012, the bilateralrelationship has been broadened and deepened.

The two sidesexchanged views on the development of their respective region, andprospects for their trade and investment ties. They underlined the valueof consultations between the ASEAN and EU economic ministers to furtherstrengthen these ties.

The EU welcomed the progress achieved inASEAN integration and the building of an ASEAN Community by 2015 andreaffirmed its support to the centrality of ASEAN in the evolvingregional architecture.

Both sides were satisfied with theprogress made to strengthen cooperation in the areas of science,technology , and civil aviation as well as looked forward to theEU-ASEAN Aviation Summit to take place on February 11-12 in Singapore.

They also highly valued their relations in humanrights, discussed their increasing cooperation in the context of theASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and looked forward to the next session ofthe ARF Inter-Sessional Support Group Meeting on Confidence BuildingMeasures and Preventive Diplomacy in Brussels on April 7-9.

ASEANand the EU welcomed the successful ASEAN-EU High Level Dialogue onMaritime Cooperation, held on November 18-19, 2013 in Jakarta, whichallowed for an in-depth exchange on different aspects of maritimesecurity and the identification of different follow-up actions. Anoutcome document will be presented to the next ASEAN-EU MinisterialMeeting.-VNA