RELATIONS between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are finally picking up much-needed momentum.

Recent talks held in Ho Chi Minh City between EU and Asean senior officials appear to have made important headway in implementing a new agenda for cooperation.

The switch from recrimination over issues like Myanmar and human rights to serious consultation on non-traditional security challenges and other questions is indeed welcome. It is time the EU took relations with Asean as seriously as other global players, including the United States.

The progress made in Vietnam now needs to be followed up urgently by efforts to improve the structure of EU-Asean cooperation, inject more ambitious content and change the tone and style of the relationship. Much has changed in Europe and in Southeast Asia since the signature of the EU-Asean cooperation agreement in March 1980.

Both the EU and Asean have succeeded in bringing peace to their regions. Both have worked for economic prosperity and both have to deal with the challenge of big and difficult neighbours. Increasingly, both face a similar uphill task in ensuring their relevance, influence and importance in the 21st century.

Asean has to affirm its centrality in a rapidly changing region which includes an increasingly assertive China. It is also struggling to maintain its unity in the face of Beijing.

Europe is still battling with the currency crisis, massive unemployment and has to adapt to living in a world where the power has shifted from the West to Asia. When it comes to China — or Russia — the EU is still struggling to speak with one voice.

Last year saw several significant improvements in EU-Asean ties: the EU acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, Asean’s core document for ensuring peace in the region. A recent meeting of EU-Asean foreign ministers in Brunei pledged to further improve bilateral ties between the two regions by adopting a ‘Plan of Action’.

Significantly also, Baroness Catherine Ashton, high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, attended the Asean regional forum in Phnom Penh in July after a much-remarked two-year absence.

In addition, the EU decision to lift sanctions against Myanmar has given a boost to relations with Asean. However, more needs to be done to further broaden, deepen and strengthen the current level of EU-Asean engagement. It is important that the momentum achieved in the last year is not lost.

The EU and Asean need to recognise each other as strategic partners. It is quite surprising that this has not been done given the importance of the economic relationship and shared regional integration goals.

This will necessarily mean the organisation of regular summits between EU and Asean leaders — although these gatherings need not be annual. They could be held back-to-back with the Asia Europe Meeting organised every two years.

The EU should appoint a special ambassador in Jakarta with sole responsibility for relations with Asean to ensure implementation of the ambitious action plan on EU-Asean relations adopted last year in Brunei.

The conclusion of an EU-Asean free-trade agreement would also boost the relationship. Although this is unlikely to be possible in the short-term, it should remain a medium-term goal for both sides.

The EU has already concluded a free trade deal with Singapore and is negotiating with Thailand. These and others in the pipeline should become building blocks for a region-to-region accord once the Asean economic community takes more concrete form as of 2016.

Asean also needs to enhance its visibility in Europe. Very little is known about the organisation, its ambitions and achievements in Europe. Public support for stronger EU-Asean ties can only be built up if there is wider media coverage and discussions in universities and in think tanks about the subject.

Trade and economic issues will remain the backbone of the relationship, with both sides also working on expanding their investment flows. Sharing best practice on regional integration also continues to be important in view of Asean’s enhanced regional ambitions and the need to build Asean capacity in an increased number of areas.

The EU can provide lessons in building connectivity — especially as regards institutions and people, students, academics, scientists. Discussions on human rights — once a taboo question for Asean countries — are gaining momentum.

The focus in EU-Asean discussions should be on non-traditional security, confidence-building measures and possibly joint exploitation of the resources in the South China Seas.

Maritime security, disaster resilience, conflict prevention and crisis management as well as peace-building are other subjects where the EU has the know-how and experience as are challenges related to health, terrorism, cyber security, climate change and the environment.

Asean has never liked European ‘arrogance’ in lecturing and hectoring them on their perceived deficits and weaknesses. But people in the region admire much that is European, including European technology, products and culture. To keep growing, both sides need each other’s markets and investments. Europeans should steer clear of any prescriptive approach to the way Asean should evolve.

Asean decision-making is slow, messy and the organisation is currently divided over how best to deal with China. But this is no different from intra-EU debates on the future of the union and Europe’s own failure to speak with one voice on China.

The EU and Asean have made a good start in reviewing their relationship and seeking fresh avenues for cooperation. The meeting in Vietnam appears to have been constructive and positive. The effort must be maintained in the months ahead so that both sides can work more closely together to tackle complex 21st-century challenges.

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.