On 19 September 2018, the European Commission and the Vice President/High Representative adopted the Joint Communication 'Connecting Europe and Asia ─ Building blocks for an EU Strategy'. The Communication is part of the EU contribution for the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be held in Brussels on 18-19 October 2018.

Asia matters to Europe: it represents 60% of the world population and accounts for 35% of the EU's exports (€ 618 billion) and 45% of the EU's imports (€ 774 billion), according to 2016 figures. In a world of growing global interdependence, Europe and Asia together can be the engines of a more cooperative approach to world politics, global stability and regional economic prosperity. Therefore, they should ensure an efficient and sustainable connectivity.

The Communication proposes the EU to engage with its Asian partners along three strands:

1. efficient connections and network between Europe and Asia through priority transport corridors (including air, sea and land transport), high capacity network links to develop digital connectivity, energy connectivity platforms and people-to-people connectivity;
2. partnerships for sustainable, open, inclusive and rules-based connectivity with countries in Asia, as well as regional and international organizations;
3. sustainable finance through diverse financial tools, including improved mobilisation of resources, reinforced leveraging of EU's financial resources and strengthened international partnerships, in order to address a significant investment gap, while building a level playing field for business (however the Communication does not aim at establishing an investment plan).

Enhanced Europe-Asia connectivity could exploit the existing and planned EU networks. The EU's Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), currently being extended to countries bordering Asia, should now connect with Asian networks. The EU's digital single market provides a blueprint for enhancing trade in digital services, while its Digital4Development strategy fosters socio-economic development.

The Communication is to be read together with the Commission's proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, which, combining other public and private sources of capital, strengthens the investments' mobilization through an investment framework for external action with an increased fire-power of up to € 60 billion.

On 15 October 2018, the EU Council adopted conclusions endorsing the Joint Communication 'Connecting Europe and Asia – Building blocks for an EU strategy'.

On 15 October 2018, during the ASEM Pathfinder Group on Connectivity (APGC) meeting, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre launched the ASEM Sustainable Connectivity Portal. This is an access point to a wealth of connectivity and sustainability-related data covering 51 countries members of the ASEM framework. It provides a comprehensive and technically sound measurement framework to measure and monitor progress with the help of two main indexes (connectivity and sustainability), combining 49 indicators.

On 19 October 2018, as a deliverable of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, the European Commission presented the ASEM Sustainable Connectivity Portal.

The Chair's Statement adopted at the end of the ASEM12 contains a full paragraph (n. 8) dedicated to connectivity.

During a visit to China in November 2018, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, reconfirmed the EU's interest to work with China on sustainable development and connectivity. Commissioner Mimica participated in the Central Asia Investment Forum organised by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the People's Bank of China and underlined the importance of catalysing public and private investment in the connectivity and sustainable development of the Central Asia region.

Connectivity was one of the topics discussed during the EU-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Brussels on 23 November 2018. The HRVP emphasised the commitment of the EU to strengthen connectivity between Europe and Asia. The participants welcomed the progress achieved in the development of Trans-Caspian transport corridors linking Europe and Asia through Central Asia. Stressing the importance of promoting further connectivity between Central Asia and Afghanistan, the EU invited Central Asian Ministers to attend the meeting on Regional Connectivity and Infrastructure held in the margins of the Geneva Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan at the end of the month.

On 15 May 2019, the European Commission and the Vice President/High Representative adopted the Joint Communication 'The EU and Central Asia: New opportunities for a stronger partnership'. On 17 June 2019, the EU Council adopted conclusions endorsing the Joint Communication. The Council recognises the strategic role of Central Asia in global efforts to promote Euro-Asian connectivity.

The forum 'EU-Asia Connectivity: Building Bridges for a Sustainable Future' took place on 27 September 2019 in Brussels. This first edition of the Forum was held under the theme 'EU-Asia Connectivity: Building Bridges for a Sustainable Future'. Abe Shinzō, Prime Minister of Japan, was the Forum's special guest. Commission's President Jean-Claude-Juncker and Prime Minister Abe signed The Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure between the European Union and Japan. The partnership confirms the EU's ambition to work together with like-minded partners in promoting connectivity that is sustainable across the board – fiscally, economically, socially and environmentally.

On 26-28 February 2020 in Singapore, the Asia-Europe Sustainable Connectivity Scientific Conference (AESCON) shall take place. It is organised by  is organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the Asia-Europe Foundation, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and the Center for China and Globalization. This is the first scientific conference on Asia-Europe sustainable connectivity. The conference will be used as an open platform for debate on sustainable connectivity, to spur future research linked to policy needs and to build a network of Asia-Europe researchers working on sustainable connectivity.

References:

• European Commission, Vice President/High Representative, Joint Communication on Connecting Europe and Asia ─ Building blocks for an EU Strategy, JOIN(2018) 31
• European Commission, Fact Sheet. Explaining the European Union's approach to connecting Europe and Asia
• European Commission, Press release. EU budget: Making the EU fit for its role as strong global actor
• European Commission, Press release. The European Union and Central Asia: New opportunities for a stronger partnership
• Council of the European Union, Council Conclusions on the New Strategy on Central Asia, 17 June 2019

Further reading:

• EEAS Press Team, FACTSHEET - the Europe-Asia connectivity
• European Parliament, EPRS, ASEP10 gives priority to climate change, Briefing, September 2018

Author: Enrico D'Ambrogio, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu