COOPERATION AGREEMENT

between the European Economic Community and Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand — member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

of the one part, and

THE GOVERNMENTS OF INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE AND THAILAND — MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS, hereinafter referred to as ASEAN,

of the other part,

Having regard to the friendly relations and traditional links between the member countries of ASEAN and the Member States of the Community;

Affirming their common commitment to support mutually the efforts of ASEAN and the Community to create and to strengthen regional organizations committed to economic growth, social progress and cultural development and aiming to provide an element of balance in international relations;

Inspired by their common will to consolidate, deepen and diversify their commercial and economic relations to the full extent of their growing capacity to meet each other's requirements on the basis of comparative advantage and mutual benefit;

Affirming their willingness to contribute to the expansion of international trade in order to achieve greater economic growth and social progress;

Conscious that such cooperation will be between equal partners but will take into account the level of development of the member countries of ASEAN and the emergence of ASEAN as a viable and cohesive grouping, which has contributed to stability and peace in South-East Asia;

Persuaded that such cooperation should be realized in an evolutionary and pragmatic fashion as their policies develop;

Affirming their common will to contribute to a new phase of international economic cooperation and to facilitate the development of their respective human and material resources on the basis of freedom, equality and justice;

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES:

Attilio RUFFINI,

President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities,

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic;

Wilhelm HAFERKAMP,

Vice-President of the Commission of the European Communities;

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA:

Prof. Dr MOCHTAR KUSUMAATMADJA,

Minister of Foreign Affairs;

THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA:

TENGKU AHMAD RITHAUDEEN,

Minister of Foreign Affairs;

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES:

CARLOS P. ROMULO,

Minister for Foreign Affairs;

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE:

S. RAJARATNAM,

Minister for Foreign Affairs;

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND:

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIDDHI SAVETSILA,

Minister for Foreign Affairs;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Most-favoured-nation treatment

The Parties shall, in their commercial relations, accord each other most-favoured-nation treatment in accordance with the provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, without prejudice, however, to the provisions of the Protocol annexed to this Agreement.

Article 2

Commercial cooperation

1.   The Parties undertake to promote the development and diversification of their reciprocal commercial exchanges to the highest possible level taking into account their respective economic situations.

2.   The Parties agree to study ways and means of overcoming trade barriers, and in particular existing non-tariff and quasi-tariff barriers, taking into account the work of international organizations.

3.   The Parties shall in accordance with their legislation and in the conduct of their policies:

Article 3

Economic cooperation

1.   The Parties, in the light of the complementarity of their interests and of their long-term economic capabilities, shall bring about economic cooperation in all fields deemed suitable by the Parties.

Among the objectives of such cooperation shall be:

2.   As means to such ends, the Parties shall, as appropriate, encourage and facilitate inter alia:

In addition the Parties undertake to improve the existing favourable investment climate inter alia through encouraging the extension, by and to all Member States of the Community and by and to all member countries of ASEAN, of investment promotion and protection arrangements which endeavour to apply the principle of non-discrimination, aim to ensure fair and equitable treatment and reflect the principle of reciprocity.

3.   Without prejudice to the relevant provisions of the Treaties establishing the Communities, this Agreement and any action taken thereunder shall in no way affect the powers of any of the Member States of the Communities to undertake bilateral activities with any of the member countries of ASEAN in the field of economic cooperation and conclude, where appropriate, new economic cooperation agreements with these countries.

Article 4

Development cooperation

1.   The Community recognizes that ASEAN is a developing region and will expand its cooperation with ASEAN in order to contribute to ASEAN's efforts in enhancing its self-reliance and economic resilience and social well-being of its peoples through projects to accelerate the development of the ASEAN countries and of the region as a whole.

2.   The Community will take all possible measures to intensify its support, within the framework of its programmes in favour of non-associated developing countries, for ASEAN development and regional cooperation.

3.   The Community will cooperate with ASEAN to realize concrete projects and programmes inter alia food production and supplies, development of the rural sector, education and training facilities and others of a wider character to promote ASEAN regional economic development and cooperation.

4.   The Community will seek a coordination of the development cooperation activities of the Community and its Member States in the ASEAN region especially in relation to ASEAN regional projects.

5.   The Parties shall encourage and facilitate the promotion of cooperation between sources of finance in the two regions.

Article 5

Joint Cooperation Committee

1.   A Joint Cooperation Committee shall be set up to promote and keep under review the various cooperation activities envisaged between the Parties in the framework of the Agreement. Consultations shall be held in the Committee at an appropriate level in order to facilitate the implementation and to further the general aims of this Agreement. The Committee will normally meet at least once a year. Special meetings of the Committee shall be held at the request of either Party.

2.   The Joint Cooperation Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure and programme of work.

Article 6

Other agreements

Subject to the provisions concerning economic cooperation in Article 3 (3), the provisions of this Agreement shall be substituted for provisions of Agreements concluded between Member States of the Communities and Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to the extent to which the latter provisions are either incompatible with or identical to the former.

Article 7

Territorial application

This Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories in which the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community is applied and under the conditions laid down in that Treaty and, on the other hand, to the territories of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Article 8

Duration

1.   This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the Parties have notified each other of the completion of the procedures necessary for this purpose, and shall remain in force for an initial period of five years and thereafter for periods of two years subject to the right of either Party to terminate it by written notice given six months before the date of expiry of any period.

2.   This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent of the Parties in order to take into account new situations.

Article 9

Authentic languages

This Agreement is drawn up in seven originals in the Danish, Dutch, English, French, German and Italian languages, each of these texts being equally authentic.