The 17th Senior Officials' Meeting between the European Union and Thailand took place on 4 June, in Bangkok. The meeting was held in an amicable and constructive atmosphere.

As relations between the EU and Thailand deepen and the global context becomes increasingly complex, the EU and Thailand underlined the importance of timely implementation of the EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in December 2022. They looked forward to the provisional application of the agreement once it is ratified by Thailand.

The EU and Thailand looked forward to continuing negotiations on a comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement and noted that the third round of negotiations will be held on 17-21 June in Brussels. 

The EU and Thailand exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including the latest political and economic developments in both Thailand and the EU. Discussions covered in particular trade and economic relations, climate change, sustainable development and environmental issues, as well as human rights, security including non-traditional security threats, Schengen visas and consular issues, and labour issues.

The EU and Thailand reaffirmed their commitment towards a zero tolerance approach in the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU). In that respect, they reaffirmed their common will to continue cooperating and sharing experience in the fight against IUU fishing and looked forward to the holding of the EU-Thailand Working Group on IUU fishing being held 5-7 June in Bangkok to discuss the latest developments in their respective legal and policy frameworks. 

Regarding global and regional issues, they exchanged views on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU and Thailand discussed on the need to find a just and lasting peace upholding the UN Charter principles and international law. They also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, and agreed on the necessity to work towards easing the suffering of civilians, and supporting international efforts towards a ceasefire. They also committed to work together in upholding and safeguarding the international rules based order.

They discussed developments in Myanmar and reaffirmed their position that the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus remains the main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar. 

They exchanged on the perspectives for enhancing the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership. They underscored the successful meetings of the EU-Indo Pacific Forum and the EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on 2 February 2024.

The meeting was co-chaired by Paola Pampaloni, Deputy Managing Director, Asia and the Pacific, European External Action Service and by Krongkanit Rakcharoen, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.