EU-South Korea Relations: Pre and Post Korea-EU FTA A Presentation - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A Presentation at the Workshop on

“Rethinking EU’s Engagement in the Asia-Pacific - Challenges to EU’s Foreign Policy and Diplomacy” EU Centre in Singapore April 20-21, 2015

Sunghoon Park Jean Monnet Chair Director, KU-KIEP-SBS EU Centre Korea University shpark@korea.ac.kr

EU-South Korea Relations:

Pre and Post Korea-EU FTA

Background

• More Active EU’s Engagement with the Asia-Pacific

since Early 1990s

– Uruguay Round Negotiations till 1994 – Single Market Programme till 1993

• EU’s Asia Strategy Includes Four Sub-regions

– Northeast Asia: China, Japan, Korea – Southeast Asia: ASEAN – South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka – Australasia: Australia, New Zealand

Background

• Deepening of EU’s (New) Asia Strategy

– 1994: NAS Newly Launched – 2001: Upgrade of Asia Strategy – 2003: European Security Strategy

• 2007 Update and yearly Performance Check

– 2006: ‘Global Europe’ Strategy

• New FTA Strategy of the EU with Many Asian Negotiation

Partners (Korea, ASEAN, etc.)

– 2012: “Asia Year” Concept Paper

ASEM as a Venue for Bilateral Cooperation

• Korea Enjoying a Unique Status

Trajectory of Korea-EU Relations

• Incremental Advancements of EU’s Approach

towards Korea

– 1993: Adoption of Korea Strategy Paper

• NAS (1994)China (1995)Japan (1995)ASEAN (1996)
• Launch of ASEM (1996)

– 2001: First Framework Agreement – 2007-2009: Negotiations on an FTA (Initialed in 2009, Signed in 2010) – 2010: Framework Agreement (Korea One of EU’s Ten Strategic Partners) – 2011: Entry into Force of the Korea-EU FTA – 2014: Adoption of Agreement on Participation in Crisis Management Operations

Korea’s Unique Status

• Korea as the Only Country in the World with 3

Major Cooperation Agreements with the EU

– Framework Agreement (2010) – Free Trade Agreement (2011) – Agreement on Crisis Management Operations (2014)

• Korea and the EU in Search of New Cooperation

Agenda

– Cultural Cooperation (Committee Established) – Cooperation in Science and Technology (FP7 and FP8) – Cooperation in International Development Activities

• Korea’s DAC Membership in 2010
• Framework Agreement (2010) and Summit Meetings (2012)

Korea’s Unique Status

• Education also an Important Field of Cooperation

– ASEMDUO Fellowship Program – ECP-ICI between the EU and Korea

• EU Centre Programs with Strong Impacts

– 5 EU Centres in Korea (4 in Japan) – Subject to Major Changes for Coming Years

Future Agenda for Korea-EU Bilateral Cooperation

• Stronger Trilateral Cooperation in International

Development Desirable

– Combining Respective Expertise

• Korea in Asia to Combine with the EU in Africa and Latin

America

• Green Growth and Technology (GGGI, GCF)
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training
• Trade Promotion and Related HRD
• Potential for Security-related Fields to be Explored

Further

– EU More Neutral than the US in Dealing with North Korea

Future Agenda for Korea-EU Bilateral Cooperation

• More Meaningful Lessons to be Drawn for NEA

Reconciliation

– Franco-German Leadership Cooperation in European Integration – Germany-Poland Reconciliation Process Providing Meaningful Lessons for Resolving Disputes between China-Japan-Korea – Korea Well-positioned to Play the Role of an (Inter)Mediator

• between China and Japan
• between Developed and Deveoloing Asia

Thank You Very Much!