The Relations with ASEAN as a ‘Model’ of a European Foreign Policy?

Depending on the level of analysis, the relationship between ASEAN and the European Community (EC) and its present twelve member states (also referred to as the EC Twelve) may be assessed differently. Those who concentrate on the bilateral links emphasise the ‘natural’ interest of the two groupings, which decide to tackle a number of problems on the basis of intra-regional Cooperation, to apply that principle also to their external relations. To build up such an interregional coalition seems to be particularly appropriate at a time when international politics is marked by global inter-dependence both in the political and economic fields. Group-to-group relations can be built up more easily — and the dialogue between ASEAN and the EC Twelve confirms this development — in those cases where both partners share a common political and economic philosophy. But also if conditions are less favourable there is an increased need for Cooperation among states across regional boundaries to tackle major problems and to serve their own ‘national interests’.