Eurocodes in Motion across ASEAN

Eurocodes in Motion across ASEAN 

From shared standards to safer structures across Southeast Asia

The EU-ASEAN Dialogue on Eurocodes began with a simple, ambitious idea: use a common language for structural design to build safe, robust and resilient built infrastructure, then adapt it to each country’s needs and construction practices. Through the Enhanced EU-ASEAN Regional Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) and the technical support by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), ASEAN counterparts convened workshops, exchanges and training that moved the region from awareness to adoption. The result: stronger institutions, clearer pathways, and a community prepared to make resilience routine. This cooperation on Eurocodes also reflects a broader vision between ASEAN and the European Union (EU) that shared standards lead to stronger, more sustainable investments in the region.

“Standards for structural design like the Eurocodes facilitate investment by harmonising the construction market, lowering costs, increasing transparency, and encouraging innovation,” said H.E. Sujiro Seam, EU Ambassador to ASEAN. He added: “This aligns with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which promotes sustainable and secure connections across key sectors globally, including transport, energy, digital, health, education, and research. The European Union remains committed to supporting ASEAN under the Global Gateway.”

The journey: from awareness to adoption

What started as awareness-raising matured into a structured regional programme. Early sessions mapped the benefits of Eurocodes, a family of ten European standards for structural design European standards (EN 1990-1999), and how the flexibility of the Nationally Determined Parameters (NDPs) and National Annexes (NAs) to the Eurocodes let each country tune safety aspects like seismic risk, climatic actions like wind, and construction design practices to local conditions. As regulators, standards bodies, academia and industry met repeatedly, a Community of Practice took shape, encouraging continuous learning and exchange.

By 2024–2025, momentum shifted decisively to implementation. ASEAN Member States compared adoption pathways, governance roles and training needs, learning from peers already applying Eurocodes in practice. Dedicated sessions on the Eurocodes national implementation plan made technical steps tangible: who leads, how to phase, what data to use, and how to maintain the system as standards evolve.

A workshop in Malaysia (27-28 October 2025) marked a pivot from dialogue to delivery and a clear wish and aim for regional harmonisation in structural design. Participants consolidated lessons, prioritised capacity building for national standardisation and regulatory bodies, and identified targeted technical assistance for the elaboration of the National Annexes to the Eurocodes. The message was clear: This is not an end, but a beginning, turning common design standards into everyday practice. The ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO) Structural Working Group offered to act as a central platform for support to engineers in the region promoting Eurocodes.

“Eurocodes is a common language for safety in construction. It can be spoken by many nations in ASEAN to build stronger together. Malaysia and Singapore can be the champions in leading the way and supporting the other Member States,” Prof. Dr Jeffrey Chiang, President of Institution of Engineers Malaysia, expressed.

What changed and why it matters

• Shared foundations, local fit: Eurocodes offer common structural design principles while the unique aspect of the NDPs ensure each country’s climate, geology, risk profile and design practices shape design choices.

• Institutions strengthened: Clearer roles for ministries, National Standards Bodies (NSBs) and professional institutions mean smoother adoption and upkeep.

• Community that endures: Ongoing exchanges keep ministries, NSBs, industry and academia connected, so expertise circulates beyond any single event.

“The JRC will continue to support the implementation of the second-generation Eurocodes. I invite you to stay informed of our activities through the Eurocodes website and to use all the resources available there,” Francois Augendre, Head of Unit - Built Environment, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, encouraged. 

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EU-ASEAN Dialogue on Eurocodes

Key milestones

• 2021–2023: Introductory regional workshops frame cooperation and build awareness, including the first in-person Eurocodes Dialogue in Singapore that explored adaptation of structural design relating to climate change.

• 2024: Capacity building deepens; focus on how NDPs/NAs calibrate Eurocodes to local conditions, ASEAN delegates visit the European Commission’s JRC in Ispra, Italy.

• 24 Apr 2025: ASEAN Implementation Workshop shares country pathways and training models.

• 27–28 Oct 2025: Workshop, Malaysia: consolidates lessons and sets next steps.

What’s next

• Establish/strengthen national task groups for the national adoption of the Eurocodes and the elaboration of the National Annexes, ensuring maintenance.

• Prioritise training programmes for regulators, reviewers and practicing engineers.

• Launch a peer review loop across ASEAN to compare parameters and share updates.

• Build a lightweight regional repository for NAs, guidance, and teaching materials.

• Track implementation metrics (e.g., NA completion, training hours, adoption milestones).

• Closer collaboration among standardisation bodies in ASEAN Member States and Comité Européen de Normalisation (European Committee for Standardisation / CEN) and Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation / CENELEC).