ASEAN Integration Through Law – Plenary and Course Development Workshop on the ASEAN Economic Community
About the Workshop
The Centre for International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam and the Asian Law Institute (ASLI) held the Plenary and Course Development Workshop on the AEC on 1 April 2014 in Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The event was attended by more than 150 participants, including government officials from 10 ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, diplomats, academics from over 20 countries, policy experts and members of the business community.
This plenary is a part of CIL’s ASEAN Integration through Law Project. The project will see full reports of all project investigators published as a series of 30 books by Cambridge University Press.
The project’s three previous plenaries were held in Singapore and Jakarta in 2013. The first plenary provided an overview of the general architecture of ASEAN, focusing on the political and economic aspirations of ASEAN and institutions which play a part in ASEAN community-building. In this plenary, Mr Shanmugam, Minister of Law and Foreign Affairs of Singapore, emphasized that “Law is an integral aspect of ASEAN integration and community building”.
The second plenary which was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Dr Marty Natalegawa, focused on the governance and management of ASEAN, including the external relations of ASEAN with its dialogue partners. Minister Marty highlighted the importance of law and people to people connectivity in the development of the ASEAN Community.
Meanwhile, the third plenary examined the rule of law in the ASEAN Community, including the role of international and national legal infrastructure and the value of instruments of monitoring and dispute settlement for the implementation of ASEAN obligations. The Honorable Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that, “In the international sphere, adherence to the Rule of Law exists because despite it being a constraint on power, states see such adherence as being in their enlightened self-interest as it furnishes international legitimacy.”
This plenary in Hanoi, critically analyzed the integration of the ASEAN Economic Community. The plenary was opened by HE Mr Ho Xuan Son, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam who shared his perspective about the importance of ASEAN in the integration of ASEAN Members, as well as Vietnam’s policy in preparing for the realization of the AEC by 2015.
Chaired by Prof. Joseph Weiler of the European University Institute (Florence), the first and the second plenary sessions respectively discussed the topic of Trade in Goods and Services and the topic of Investment and Integration.
In the first session, the project investigators shared their findings about the current legal framework of ASEAN in both trade in goods and services. The session continued with discussions on aspects of the current legal framework that can be improve, and challenges to move forward. In particular, liberalization in services was highlighted as one of the critical issues that ASEAN members should focus on.
Meanwhile, the second session discussed about Investment and Integration within ASEAN. The project investigators focused on the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement and its contribution to attracting FDI for the integrated production networks in Southeast Asia. Despite the existence of certain ambiguities, they believed that the framework is exceptional due to its ability to balance investment protection and preservation of government’s policy space. More refinement and clarity in the text will be needed though.
In the afternoon, the event continued with three concurrent course development workshops: Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, and Investment, with more than 30 people attending each session. The participants consisted of academics from universities across the Asian region. They engaged in interactive discussions with project investigators on methods and substance which should be delivered in educating future generation of ASEAN lawyers so they can be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead for ASEAN.
Professor Joseph Weiler concluded the event and highlighted the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 is not the end. There remain legal issues which need to be addressed to make the legal framework remain relevant to the existing context. In this connection, he also urged academics across the region to develop innovative methods in educating the young generations about the ASEAN Law that all can contribute to this effort.
Programme
To view the programme in PDF format, click here.
Media
“ASEAN integration through law in spotlight” in Vietnam Plus, 1 April 2014
“Plenary session analyses legal issues related to ASEAN Integration” in Nhan Dan Online, 1 April 2014
“ASEAN Integration Through Law Project” in VOV, 1 April 2014
“ASEAN Integration Through Law Project” on Vietnam Breaking News, 1 April 2014