"WEED Background" on the negotiations on a free trade agreement between the EU and the ASEAN states

As part of the European Global Europe Strategy, the EU has started to negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). However, this region-to-region negotiation approach is proving difficult, both due to the economic differences between the individual states and the difficulty of integrating states such as Laos, Cambodia and Burma. In addition, the interests of the EU, European interest groups and industrialists in a free trade agreement differ from those of ASEAN. While European corporate interests are clearly pronounced in the negotiations, criticism of the negotiations comes mainly from the South. The threat of deindustrialization, fear of resource exploitation and negative effects on the prosperity of people in Europe and Asia are just some of the points of criticism.