Brussels, 07/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The third meeting of the European and Asian economy ministers will be held on 10 and 11 September in Hanoi, in Vietnam, in the context of the "informal" ASEM dialogue bringing together the EU, seven ASEAN countries, Japan and Korea. The ministers are expected to above all evaluate the new guidelines that could be given to the action plans for the development of trade and investment adopted during the first Asem Summit in 1998.
European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy will take part at the meeting and will, on this occasion, meet several Asian ministers for preparing the WTO meeting in Doha, in November. He is expected to meet the ministers of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos. He should also meet the Vietnamese authorities and urge for rapid accession by Vietnam to the WTO, states a Commission press release. The Commissioner will meet representatives of the business world in Ho-Chi-Min Ville, then in Singapore, during an Asia/Europe Forum.