EU To Allocate US$55.99 Million On ASEAN Integration

KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 (Bernama) -- The European Union (EU), which aims to become ASEAN's strong partner, hopes to inject about US$55.99 million (50 million euro, US$1 = 0.89 euro) to underpin the grouping's integration and trade facilitation. EU Ambassador to ASEAN, Francisco Fontan Pardo, said over the next four to five years, the union would also come up with new funds and ideas to support the ASEAN secretariat. "The funds will be for economic and trade, environment, as well as, people-to-people relations such as human rights," he told a press conference on his maiden visit to Malaysia here Tuesday. Fontan Pardo said biodiversity and climate change issues were also among major areas the EU would focus on, whereby it planned to inject €20 million for the cause, as well as, an additional US$11.20 million (10 million euro) to preserve biodiversity in South-East Asia. He said ASEAN had an important role to play given its central position, being the base where the whole region could build up on. "Considering the EU and ASEAN are strong trading partners and that we are the primary sources of investment in the region, the EU have a vital interest in ASEAN's success," he said. Commenting on open skies plan between Europe and South-East Asia, Fontan Pardo said, European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc was positive and looking forward to start negotiations on the ambitious plan. He said the EU was currently seeking greenlight from its member states to commence negotiations with ASEAN. "This will be of strong interest for both the EU and ASEAN. We expect progress on the matter soon," he said. The agreement, if passed, would lift all restrictions, including the number of flights that carriers on both sides could operate between the two areas. On the EU-Malaysia free trade agreement negotiations, Fontan Pardo said, both sides were now ready to resume talks after putting it on hold as a lot of effort by Malaysia was put into finishing the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. "We hope to start negotiations and conclude them soon because Malaysia is clearly one of the powerhouses of the region," he added. --BERNAMA