The European Union business community views ASEAN as a region that has great economic opportunities in the world. In fact, according to the Indonesian Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan, ASEAN also has the most profitable investment, economic growth, and trade potential for the European Union. According to Zulkifli, the European Union views ASEAN as an important region with the largest economic opportunities in the world. The survey results generally also place ASEAN as a place of investment, economic growth and trade whose prospects are most favorable to the European Union. For this reason, he requested that the EU-ABC can propose solutions to the challenges facing ASEAN to strengthen cooperation with the European Union. Meanwhile, the meeting was attended by ASEAN Trade/Economic Ministers and ASEAN Secretary General, Kao Kim Hourn. Also present were representatives of the European Commission Christophe Kiener and Secretary and Member of the Executive Board of the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC), Gustaaf Reerink. The first session of the meeting began with the ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting with the EU-ABC. The meeting discussed challenges that must be solved together. These include the impact of climate change on economic development to supply chain efficiency.
Member of the Executive Board of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, Gustaaf Reerink added, trade and investment between ASEAN and the European Union has improved after the Covid-19 pandemic. The EU has once again become ASEAN's second source of foreign investment in the last ten years. The EU is also consistently ASEAN's third-largest trading partner. In this meeting, it was also revealed that ASEAN and the European Union both noted the progress of the implementation of the 2022-2023 trade and investment work program. Such is the case with cooperation between business actors.
