Around 100 participants from government, business, academia and diplomacy joined the event ‘The EU’s Strategic Choices In a Turbulent World: Towards a Reinforced Partnership with Southeast Asia’ organised by the EU Delegation on 20 June.

In view of rising uncertainty around the world, the event asked how the EU can best connect to an increasingly multipolar Indo-Pacific that is grappling with similar strategic questions on trade, technology, and climate change, and how a reinforced partnership with ASEAN can contribute to greater stability and mutual benefit.

Opening the event, EU Ambassador to Singapore Iwona Piórko underlined the inter-connectedness of European and Asian security: “What happens in this region has an impact on peace and prosperity in Europe – and vice-versa.”

Director of EUISS Dr Steven Everts reflected on concerning geo-political trends in his keynote address: “This is a world that is marked by power politics, by more wars, by more coercion, by more impunity. – This is not the world that Europeans want.” Asia and Europe were together in this, with a shared interest in maintaining a liberal trading system and an international order with agreed rules: “There is no far away in a world of global security.”

In the panel discussion that followed, Dr Everts joined Associate Professor Ja Ian Chong of the National University of Singapore and Ms Hoang Thi Ha of local think tank ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute on stage for a spirited discussion, moderated by Dr Daniel Balazs of the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). The panel discussed developments in US policy towards alliances globally and in the Indo-Pacific, ASEAN’s evolving role, the EU’s stepping up on defence spending, and support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression. 

Discussions continued in a lively Q&A.