The Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council

Dr. Dinh Van An, Chairperson of ERIA, Mr. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Executive Director of ERIA, Dr. Ponciano S. Intal Jr., Senior Researcher of ERIA, and some officials from ERIA attended the 4th Meeting of ASEAN Economic Community Council on 25 August 2010.

H.E. Vu Huy Hoang, Minister of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam, chaired the Meeting. Dr. Ponciano S. Intal Jr., Senior Researcher of ERIA, presented the draft integrative report of the ERIA Study to further improve the AEC Scorecard to the ASEAN Economic Ministers. The Ministers approved the Study during the AEM Retreat at Putrajaya last February. The Study's research team, consisting of 3-4 man country research team in each ASEAN member state and led by Dr. Ponciano S. Intal Jr., Senior Researcher of ERIA and Dr. Dionisius A. Narjoko, Researcher of ERIA, undertook much of the research from mid-April to the endof July.

They distributed 7 sets of questionnaires, interviewed key government officials and businessmen, and held 2 or 3 focus group discussions in each member country.