Strasbourg, 06/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Wednesday the acting President of the Council, Bertel Haarder, presented the European Parliament with the Danish Presidency's priorities for the fourth ASEM meeting, to be held in Copenhagen on 23/24 September. Alongside political dialogue and economic cooperation, he stressed combating international crime (particularly human and drugs trafficking) and developing dialogue between cultures and religions (an informal discussion is planned over dinner on education, access to information and cultural exchanges). On economic aspects, Haarder said that they would discuss sustainable development and WTO issues, attempting to keep the same momentum as after Doha. Negotiations will be supported by cooperation with the private sector and the Business Forum will meet up just before the Copenhagen ministerial meeting.
Commissioner Chris Patten welcomed the strengthening of the EU-Asian partnership and the trade and political presence of the EU in Asia. Pointing out that Taiwan is the EU's third biggest trading partner in the east, he confirmed the Commission's plans to open an office in Taipei by the end of the year. In the next few months, delegations will also be opened in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Laos (Nepal). He emphasised the importance of the dialogue between civilisations in the framework of the fight against terrorism and reaffirmed that the EU has a role to play in the reconciliation of North and South Korea.
Dutch Liberal Jules Maaten presented his report, calling for a more voluntarist and more coherent approach from the Council and a strengthening of EU-Asia relations. German Christian Democrat Georg Jarzembovski hoped that the Copenhagen meeting would lead to tangible action and an implementation timetable. Along with other MEPs he hoped that India would participate in ASEM. British Labour MEP Glynn Ford and Belgian Liberal Willy De Clercq also called for a stepping up of economic and political ties. Other MEPs laid emphasis on human rights. Italian Green Reinhold Messner and Lista Bonino MEP Olivier Dupuis raised the situation in Laos, Vietnam, Tibet, Kashmir and Nepal. Finnish Conservative Ilkka Suominen lamented that capital punishment was being pursued in China, and called for the needs of Mongolia to be taken into account in the framework of ASEM (which Mongolia does not belong to).