The 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Milan on 16-17 October 2014. Under the theme of “Responsible Partnership for Growth and Security”, the 10th ASEM focused on enhancing “connectivity” between Asia and Europe. The spotlight on connectivity is highly related to ever-growing interdependence between Asia and Europe.
It is well known that ASEM has had many ups and downs since its inception in 1996. After a few years of euphoria on its functioning, ASEM lost its initial momentum. ASEM has been criticized for producing small outcomes compared to its scale. However, low ‘effectiveness’ of ASEM is normal, if its membership and operational principles are considered. Its members are highly disparate in economic size, level of economic development and political interests. In this context, the cooperation projects in the ASEM limits either to some sectorial issues or to normative gestures. However, it is noteworthy that ASEM has served as a regular dialogue to deepen the understanding of decision-makers in Asia and Europe.
In order to reinvigorate ASEM, it is highly important to find new contents and ASEM will be very useful forum for following fields. First, ASEM is well placed for bridging information gaps in the on-going mega-FTAs, such as RCEP, TPP and TTIP as well as in bilateral FTAs between EU and Asian countries. Second, ASEM can be more widely used as a platform for the exchange at civil society level. Third, from Asian perspective, ASEM is a useful forum for security issues. It seems that European experiences in peaceful cooperation in Europe are still relevant in East Asia where possibility of territorial disputes exists.