Study on Economic integration in South East Asia and the impact on the EU

Description

The aim of the project is to describe the level of economic integration in the South East Asian region and analyse the characteristics of the free trade areas (FTAs) that the most important countries/ economic blocks have negotiated bilaterally or at the regional level, including also main partners outside the region. Moreover, the report will evaluate the production and trade effects on the EU (and on other major affected countries/regions) of the economic integration process in the region. In particular, the impact of EU companies' competitiveness from not engaging in FTAs with the most important countries/economic blocks in South East Asia will be assessed.

The aim of the study is to provide analytical background for the future directions for the reinforced EU strategy which is scheduled to be presented during the second half of 2010. The study will also provide analytical background for the EU's FTA policy in South East Asia. Finally, the results of the analysis will feed into the negotiations that the Commission is about to launch in the region with some of the ASEAN members (South East Asia/ ASEAN - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam).

CASE expert acted as a project scientific co-leader and co-author of the report. He also presented the draft report to the European Commission.

Sponsor:

European Commission - DG Trade

Partners:

University of Sussex (Leader)
CARIS (Centre for the Analysis of Regional Integration at Sussex)