Paris and Malmö, 24-26 May 2023: European and Indo-Pacific countries are facing various global challenges such as rising geopolitical tensions, increasing economic rivalries, and the ongoing climate crisis. These challenges require new approaches for effective solutions. As a leading think tank in Asia, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) co-organised two high-level forums in May to work together with EU institutions to address a range of challenges including climate change, digital transformation, and energy transition.  

On 24 May, ERIA and the Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri) in Paris co-hosted the EU–Indo Pacific Forum. The Forum aimed to foster dialogue between the EU and Indo-Pacific nations, exploring avenues for cooperation to tackle emerging global challenges while deepening mutual understanding.  

In his opening speech, ERIA’s President Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura conveyed ERIA’s efforts to promote the concept of Indo-Pacific since Thailand’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2019 and continued until Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year with the launch of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as well as the Indo-Pacific Forum, one of the flagship projects of the chairmanship.  

‘I hope that the Indo-Pacific will be a place for development cooperation that embraces the growth dynamism of ASEAN, the world's growth centre. To this end, [ERIA is] focusing on energy, environment, digital, agriculture, and health,’ said Prof Nishimura.  

Prof Tetsuya Watanabe, Special Advisor to the President of ERIA, delivered his presentation on supply chain resilience in which he talked about the discussion on economic resilience and security during the 49th G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.  

‘Neutral countries like ASEAN can play a significant role in the global economy amidst global economic decoupling,’ said Prof Watanabe, adding that ASEAN is likely to benefit more from the global economic decoupling.  

Distinguished speakers at the Forum included Director of Ifri Thomas Gomart, Ambassador of France for Indo-Pacific H.E. Marc Abensour, former Minister of Trade of Indonesia Prof Mari Elka Pangestu, Ambassador of Japan for France H.E. Makita Shimokawa, Director of Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies Françoise Nicolas, and twelve speakers across three panel discussion sessions. ERIA’s Special Advisor to the President, Prof Akiko Yamanaka, moderated the keynote speeches.  

In Malmö, Sweden, ERIA co-hosted the Nordic ASEAN Forum 2023 with the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), STRING Megaregion, and the City of Malmö to explore new approaches to address global challenges.  

Prof Nishimura introduced ERIA to the audience as he began his opening remarks and stressed the importance and achievability of sustainable energy for both advanced and emerging economies of the Global South.  

‘We need to engineer a new energy future, a future that harnesses the power of green energy technology and innovations in the service of people and our planet. Sustainable Energy that is people-centric is good for the economy, good for the environment, and good for global equity,’ said Prof Nishimura.  

He conveyed ERIA’s focus on the key strategic areas of renewable and clean energy, as well as contributions to energy policy, energy market integration, emission regulation, and country-specific energy consumption statistics in the ASEAN and East Asia region.  

Anja N. Sonesson, Vice President of the City Council of Malmö, also delivered opening remarks. The keynote speeches were delivered by Prof Mari Elka Pangestu and Karl-Johan Linghede, CEO of Modular Management. There were nine speakers in three panel discussion sessions. Closing remarks were made by Mattias Goldmann, Founder of the 2030 Secretariat.