Mr Chairman,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should like to thank you personally, Mr Chairman, and all members of the Thai delegation for the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements which have been extended to me and to my delegation.

Clearly a new era is approaching in ASEAN and in the wider region around ASEAN. Economic growth is transforming the ASEAN countries. The role of ASEAN in world affairs is growing apace.

By the year 2000, half the growth in the global economy will come from East and Southeast Asia alone. The balance of world economic power is radically changing. For this reason, the European Commission has recently presented a new strategy paper on Asia to the European Council. We look forward to discussing the ideas in this policy paper and how they might apply to ASEAN at the next EU-ASEAN Ministerial to be held in Karlsruhe in September.

The European Union clearly needs to accord Asia a higher priority. The Union needs as a matter of urgency to strengthen its economic presence in Asia in order to maintain its leading role in the world economy. The establishment of a strong, coordinated presence in ASEAN and in the other regions of Asia will allow Europe at the beginning of the XXIst century to ensure that its interests are taken fully into account.

Asia's growing economic weight is inevitably generating increasing pressures for a greater role in world affairs. At the same time the ending of the cold war has created a regional environment of unparalleled political fluidity. Consequently the European Union seeks to develop its political dialogue with Asia and we look for ways to join with ASEAN and the countries of Asia in the management of international affairs, working towards a partnership of equals capable of playing a constructive and stabilising role in the world.

In this respect, the ASEAN Regional Forum promises to be an important and innovative part ofthe new processes to ensure peace and security in Asia. For this reason we particularly appreciated participating yesterday in the historic inaugural session of ARF.

At last year's meeting of the PMC in Singapore, the European Commission went on record as supporting ASEAN's efforts to build a strong prosperous Southeast Asia of 10 states. We believe therefore that the announcement at this year's ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that before too long your neighbours Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos could join ASEAN to be a move of historic significance. In broadening its membership, ASEAN is clearly creatively adapting to new challenges. We wish you well in this endeavour and stand ready to examine with you how best we can join you in achieving this goal.

As for the European Union itself, we too are breaking new ground with your neighbouring countries. Before coming to Bangkok I went to Hanoi to discuss the next stage in the Union's relations with Vietnam. I am delighted to report that after normalising EU-Vietnam relations in 1990, and after successfully contributing to the return of more than 60,000 Vietnamese boat people from camps all over Southeast Asia to their home countfy, the EU will shortly be in a position to conclude a comprehensive Trade and Cooperation Agreement with Vietnam. This will enable us to speed up cooperation with Vietnam in many new fields, including technical assistance for the ongoing process of transition to a market economy in Vietnam.

Mr Chairman,

I am pleased to note that the EU is taking its full responsibility and its full share in working for the rehabilitation of Cambodia. This commitment is reflected in our financial contribution.

The successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round in December last year has already contributed to strengthening confidence in the world economy. In order to secure a swift result, it is essential that the WTO be launched on target by January 1 next year. For its part, the European Union is ready to meet its commitments. But the Union cannot be multilateral on its own. We trust that other main participants to world trade, including I need hardly add, the ASEAN countries, will be able to put the Round's results into effect on time. As you know we believe that once the WTO is set up, it will be essential to secure a result that is genuinely satisfactory in terms of opening up world markets for services.

Among the impressive list of new subjects put forward for consideration by the WTO, the relationship between trade, finance and currency, as well as the link between trade and the protection of the environment clearly deserve the highest priority. That said, we have no intention of giving any legitimacy to disguised or green protectionism.

The WTO should not be overloaded with new issues. But it should be able to keep abreast of developments in world trade. The relationship between trade and the conditions for competition as set by national legislation, as well as social conditions, should be given serious consideration. The Union has supported the idea of putting such issues on the agenda of the WTO in order to ensure that free trade is also fair trade. But we are determined that in doing so this should not be used as an excuse for introducing some form of disguised protectionism.

Many of the ideas and approaches in the Union's new policy towards Asia were first tried out in our cooperation with ASEAN. We look forward to discussing new approaches and to further developing our cooperation with you at the forthcoming Ministerial Meeting in Karlsruhe in September.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.