Meeting in Jakarta on 5 September 2004, ASEAN Trade Ministers and EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy have agreed to give an impulse to the on-going EU-ASEAN trade and investment initiative - TREATI - by fast-tracking six priority areas on which work will commence immediately. Speaking from Jakarta EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said:"The EU has a clear and unconditional commitment to the ASEAN region. We both share a desire to move towards free trade in the future. This is why we have no time to waste. By commencing work in these six areas, we prepare ourselves for the future, thus giving a clear signal to economic operators on both sides."
The six areas where work will be fast-tracked include: sanitary and phytosanitary rules on agro-food and fishery products, standards on electronics and forestry as well as horizontal co-operation on investment and trade facilitation.
These topics fully reflect priority sectors identified by ASEAN within their own regional integration process.
During the meeting Ministers discussed the on-going WTO talks under the Doha Development Agenda and agreed to use the impetus given by the July agreement to make further progress on industrial tariffs, services and trade facilitation over the coming months.
In the margins of the meeting, Pascal Lamy met with the Vietnamese Trade Minister Mr. Tuyen to advance on the bilateral EU-Vietnam deal for Vietnam's accession to the WTO. The next technical round of negotiations will be held on 20 September in Vietnam.