Thirty-seven ministers of Europe and Asia come together in Madrid

Ministers from 37 countries - 27 from the European Union and the ten that form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - will meet in Madrid on Wednesday to commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of a formal framework for relations between the two groups. 

The meeting, hosted by the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, and presided over by the High Representative for the Union for Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, comes at a time when both the EU and the ASEAN have important projects at hand:  

The EU is launching the new institutional framework of the Lisbon Treaty and strengthening its internal unity to face the impact of the economic and financial crises.  

On its part, the ASEAN is also taking the first steps in developing its Charter, which reflects the organisation's ambition to advance its integration process and to acquire greater importance on regional and international levels. 

In this context, the Twenty-eighth EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting will enable the two blocs to dialogue and co-operate on the challenges of the economic crisis, the consequences of climate change and the challenges set by new and traditional security concerns such as terrorism, arms proliferation, energy, piracy, disease, and natural disasters. 

Relations between the EU and ASEAN began in the 1970s. Both groups share a common commitment to regional integration as a means to promote regional stability, build prosperity and face global challenges. 

With this meeting, the Spanish Presidency has sought to further increase the already high levels of existing co-operation with ASEAN countries.

The ASEAN was established on 8 August, 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration. Signed by five States of the region - Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand - this Declaration took up the endeavour of protecting its Member States and the entire region from various security threats, and promoting peace, security and economic, social and cultural development through regional co-operative mechanisms.

Today, the ASEAN has ten members: the five founders plus five more that have joined over time, namely, Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Burma (1997) and Cambodia (1999). Additionally, East Timor has applied for membership in the organisation, and Papua New Guinea has oberver country status.