EU-ASIA RELATIONS: The 8th Asia-Europe Meeting

The 8th Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM 8) will be held in Brussels on 4-5 October 2010. Asia-Europe Meeting is a forum for dialogue between Europe and Asia which involves virtually the whole of the two continents. The 48 ASEM partners represent half of the world’s GDP, almost 60% of the world’s population and 60% of global trade. The summit will aim to build on the results of the Beijing Summit, tackling issues such as global economic governance, sustainable development, global and regional issues and Asia-Europe people-to-people relations and will be attended by the Heads of State and Government of 46 Asian and European countries, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The ASEM 8 Summit will be followed on 6 October by an EU - Republic of Korea Summit and an EU - China Summit.

The Asia Europe People's Forum (AEPF), which acts in parallel to and in response to the ASEM summit, will be held in Brussels on 2-5 October 2010. AEPF is grounded in the common desire of people’s organisations and social justice networks across Asia and Europe to open up new venues for dialogue, solidarity and action. Events will focus on the relation of corporate power to: trade/investment, food sovereignty, climate change, decent work (including social protection) and peace and security.

The AEPF will be a series of interlinked dialogues, workshops, actions, tribunals and policy debates with the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament. Events are being co-ordinated by Belgium organisations, Brussels-based European networks and the AEPF International Organising Committee.

To read the European press release or a memo on the 8th Asia-Europe meeting.

To know more about the AEPF or to register for the event, click here.