Brussels, 18/11/2021 (Agence Europe) – The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched, on 18 November, an initiative to strengthen the environmental dimension of sustainable development in their partnership. The initiative, supported by €30 million from the EU budget, will strengthen the EU-ASEAN partnership in areas such as climate action, environmental and biodiversity protection, transition to clean energy, disaster resilience, prevention of illegal logging, wildlife trafficking and air pollution. The announcement was made by the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, at the third ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Development. The initiative will promote coordinated action between European participants (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Romania, the European Investment Bank) and South East Asian countries by combining the European Green Deal and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. (AN)