More visits from European leaders to ASEAN have taken place and are being planned since Donald Trump has taken office, a sign of the EU’s and ASEAN’s mutual objective of hedging the EU-ASEAN relationship in the face of an unpredictable US.
The EU and European Leaders are looking towards ASEAN even as economic relations with its biggest trading partner the US remain uncertain following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Vietnam, in particular, is high on the agenda. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Vietnam in April, while French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the country, as well as Singapore at the end of May. Officials from European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s cabinet also noted that she was planning to visit Hanoi in the coming months, although a date has not been announced,
EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who leads the EU’s trade relations with third countries, was supposed to visit Vietnam in April, but cancelled at the last minute to deal with the US tariffs. He however visited Singapore in May to sign the Digital Trade Agreement where he gave an interview with Channel News Asia (watch here).
Earlier in the year, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice. Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath made his first visit to the region in his new capacity, while EU HR/VP Kaja Kallas is expected to be in Singapore at the end of May – early June for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas is also expected to visit Singapore in the coming months.
Malaysia is also gearing up to host the ASEAN Summits – with the upcoming one in May focused on the Gulf Coorperation Countries, but the one in September involving other dialogue and strategic partners including the EU.
Seven Members of the European Parliament also visited Indonesia from 14-16 April 2025. The MEPs were from the International Trade Committee (INTA) and focused on EU-Indonesia bilateral trade and investment relations, including on the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA).
