European Union - Asean Security and Human Rights Cooperation in the Face of Recent Geopolitical Upheavals

Faced with a changing geopolitical context, the European Union is seeking to find a new balance between sometimes contradictory requirements in its external relations. It is seeking to defend its values - particularly fundamental rights - while showing greater concern for security imperatives. This strategic reorientation is likely to have an influence on its relations with ASEAN. The elevation of the relationship between the EU and ASEAN to the rank of Strategic Partnership in 2020 marks an ambition to strengthen relations between the two regions, a determination confirmed by an analysis of the official communication. Joint achievements, although effective, are only a partial implementation of these ambitions. While there is indeed a renewal of cooperation between the EU and ASEAN, its full realisation faces major challenges. On the one hand, these are subjective and situational, as they concern the mutual perception of the two organizations. They are also more structural, concerning the differences in approach to the respective values and methods of each organization.