Highlight 24/2024 – ASEAN’s Governance Quest: Embracing EU’s Paragon Influence
Thet Thu Thu Htet, 4 July 2024
The contemporary global landscape is confronted with a constellation of pervasive risks and undisclosed afflictions. To confront these risks effectively, prioritizing global good governance is crucial. Moreover, fostering good governance can also facilitate durable peace, stability, lasting prosperity, and sustainable development. In the journey toward establishing global governance, every stakeholder holds varying degrees of importance. Specifically, regional organizations, owing to their compatibility and broad reach, wield significant influence in this endeavor.
Currently, the European Union (EU) stands as a leading supranational organization, excelling in political stability, economic prosperity, and social well-being. In the realm of regional governance, the Association of South East Asia (ASEAN) stands as a testament to the potential for cooperation and integration among diverse nations, operates with a well-organized structure, implementing practical and effective procedures based on its core principles.
The governance structures of ASEAN and the EU exhibit both similarities and disparities. While the EU operates under supranational institutions, ASEAN adheres to the principle of non-interference and consensus-based decision-making through mechanisms like the ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN Coordinating Council. As ASEAN navigates its path in governance, considering the European Union’s model presents both opportunities and risks due to the disparities and advantageous circumstances of both organizations, alongside the complexity of mechanisms within the EU. Nevertheless, it is imperative for ASEAN to avoid replicating the EU system and instead concentrate on identifying avenues for mutual reinforcement.
Leveraging synergies and fortifying partnerships are vital in navigating the intricate and evolving global terrain, alongside recognizing the complementary elements essential for achieving coherent global governance. The year 2022 signifies the 45th anniversary since the inception of dialogue relations between the EU and ASEAN, marked by a commemorative summit. Moreover, it has been four years since the relationship between the two organizations was elevated to a strategic partnership. These noteworthy accomplishments serve as milestones in the journey of both entities and underscore the importance of maintaining and expediting this momentum.
By learning from the EU’s journey while recognizing its unique circumstances, ASEAN can aim for increased regional unity, strength, and economic growth. Acknowledging the notable accomplishments as well as a robust and comprehensive governance system of EU and the dynamic nature of ASEAN, there exists a belief that ASEAN’s governance journey could significantly influence regional development, leading to a more united and prosperous Southeast Asia. Fostering complementarities with the EU, ASEAN, often likened to an inflaming Asian tiger, could emerge as a pivotal player on the global stage.
Thet Thu Thu Htet, Highlight 24/2024 – ASEAN’s Governance Quest: Embracing EU’s Paragon Influence, 4 July 2024, available at www.meig.ch
The views expressed in the MEIG Highlights are personal to the authors and neither reflect the positions of the MEIG Programme nor those of the University of Geneva.