H.E. Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador of Thailand to the EU, underscored the need for a “we” approach in Thailand-EU FTA negotiations and stressed Thailand’s commitment to sustainable development for long-term competitiveness. Mr. Werapong Prapha, Thailand Trade Representative, also emphasized Thailand’s commitment to sustainability as well as his intention to work on internal regulatory alignment, and inter-agency coordination. He stressed on capacity building in order to integrate Thai SMEs into global supply chains. He also underlined the importance of a Thailand-EU Strategic Economic Partnership that is based on trust and reliability.

Mr. Wouter Beke, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with countries of Southeast Asia and ASEAN (DASE), highlighted the potential for Thai-EU collaboration on green and digital transition.

Ms. Kathleen Van Brempt, Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) and INTA’s Standing Rapporteur for Thailand on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), shared her view that the current geopolitical crisis is an opportunity to boost Thai-EU cooperation and supported FTA negotiations that would lead to a win-win “state-of-the-art” FTA. Both MEPs traveled to Thailand earlier this year and were able to share their fresh perspectives from the ground.

Mrs. Leila Fernandez-Stembridge, Head of Division, Southeast Asia and ASEAN, European External Action Service (EEAS), reflected on existing institutional mechanisms to promote Thailand-EU and ASEAN-EU cooperation. She shared that these mechanisms were being used in parallel with FTA negotiations to drive forward Thai-EU as well as ASEAN-EU relations in a comprehensive manner.

Dr. Olaf Wientzek, Director at the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, and Mr. Noel Clehane, Vice Chairman of the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC), underscored the importance of expediting FTA negotiations with Thailand and other ASEAN countries given the current geopolitical context.

Mr. Christophe Kiener, Lead Negotiator for the EU in the Thailand-EU FTA negotiations, provided an update on the progress of negotiations. As to when the FTA would be concluded, Mr. Kiener stressed that while both sides are keen to expedite the process, but do not know when the negotiations can be concluded.

Mr. Di-Ting Shih, President of CPF Europe, and Dr. Adam McCarthy, Secretary General of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA), shared the business point of view on the importance of the Thailand-EU FTA for their sectors.

All speakers recognized Thailand and the EU as key trade and investment partners. Europe relies on Thai exports, particularly in food and agriculture. Notably, Thailand, the world's largest rubber exporter, supplies a third of the natural rubber used in Europe's tyre manufacturing. Additionally, Thai businesses have made significant investments in Europe.

The seminar was timely as it took place before the 5th around of Thailand-EU FTA negotiations during 31 March – 4 April 2025 in Brussels. It provided a valuable platform for diverse sectoral perspectives. The event concluded on a high note, fostering optimism and positive momentum. The Royal Thai Embassy extends our sincere thanks to our co-host, EIAS, for making this event possible.