On March 4, 2026, H.E. Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador of Thailand and the current Chair of the ASEAN Brussels Committee (ABC), hosted a joint meeting between the ABC and Mr. Erik Kurzweil, Director-General for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service (EEAS), marking the first official engagement between the ABC and the Managing Director since his assumption of duty in January. The session was attended by Ambassadors, Chargés d’Affaires, and representatives of all 11 ASEAN Member States Embassies in Brussels as well as officials from the Southeast Asia and ASEAN Division of the EEAS.

Both sides reaffirmed ASEAN and the European Union as reliable and like-minded partners under the ASEAN–EU Strategic Partnership, committed to practical and forward-looking cooperation. Discussions underscored a shared determination to further advance ASEAN–EU relations across a broad range of areas — including security cooperation, trade and economic ties, digital transition, connectivity, climate change and sustainability — in support of a rules-based international order and multilateralism.

Looking ahead, both sides looked forward to the ASEAN–EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Brunei Darussalam in April 2026, and the ASEAN–EU Commemorative Summit celebrating 50 years of EU-ASEAN diplomatic relations, planned for 2027 in Singapore.

The ABC, established in accordance with the ASEAN Charter, composed of all 11 Ambassadors of ASEAN Member States in Brussels, works to promote ASEAN’s cooperation and visibility with Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union, at both the governmental and people-to-people levels.