At the end of a virtual bilateral summit on Tuesday 30 June that brought together, for a little over an hour, Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, the parties welcomed a strategic partnership whose intensity and level of cooperation is, in the words of Mrs von der Leyen, “among the highest we have with any country in the world” (see EUROPE 12516/13).
In addition, Mrs von der Leyen highlighted the “very innovative and successful” approach taken by Seoul to slowing down the Covid-19 pandemic. The President of the Commission also welcomed the “very generous” pledge made at the Coronavirus Global Response initiative last May.
Insisting on a multilateral response to the pandemic, the leaders also committed to global cooperation and solidarity, in particular within the G20 and the United Nations. The parties also stressed their commitment to “effective multilateralism” and took the opportunity to recall their shared values.
Towards a stronger European role in Asia
The EU wishes to strengthen this cooperation at the regional level by affirming its willingness to be a stronger, more committed and more active player in Asia, in Mr Michel’s words.
The President of the European Council also expressed the EU’s “serious concern” about recent tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea decided in mid-June to sever official communication links with the South and to demolish the inter-Korean liaison office (see EUROPE 12508/38).
Mr Michel encouraged and supported Mr Moon’s efforts “to work towards a solution that should lead to greater stability and security”, just as he encouraged the resumption of negotiations between North Korea and the United States. But Europeans no longer want to be content with the role of spectator. Thus, according to the President of the European Council, the EU is ready to play a stronger role in the region and to “be more committed to the peace process”.
The situation in Hong Kong has also been raised by European leaders (see EUROPE 12517/3).
Developing bilateral cooperation
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its establishment, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the EU/Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership, which is based on three agreements (a Framework Agreement, a Free Trade Agreement and a Framework Agreement for Participation in EU Crisis Management Operations).
This bilateral cooperation will be particularly relevant as the economy recovers, given that Korea, like the EU, has adopted goals for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economic recovery, EU leaders told the press after the meeting.
“The current crisis has also shown the potential of digital transformation for our economies and societies”, Mrs von der Leyen stressed. “We have agreed with President Moon to advance our cooperation in this area”, she added. The parties also mentioned data protection, research, and innovation among other sectors where bilateral cooperation could be strengthened. Climate, connectivity, the fight against cyber-attacks and disinformation, and respect for human rights could also be the subject of increased bilateral cooperation.
Finally, the parties welcomed the dynamism of their trade relations under the FTA: trade has exceeded €90 billion per year for goods and reached almost €20 billion for services.
The parties hope to hold another summit in Seoul as soon as health conditions permit.
See the joint press release: https://bit.ly/2YK3uME (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel with Camille-Cerise Gessant)