Jakarta, 14 June 2022: As the world searches for the best paths to recovery from the impacts of the COVID pandemic, now compounded by the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the resulting impact on energy and food prices as well as disasters caused by climate change, building strong relations between regions is becoming more and more of an imperative. The challenges in front of us are global in nature and require large scale, innovative solutions. Thus it makes sense for ASEAN and the EU to find new ways to form connections and build stronger relations.

With these goals in mind, Mr Tomasz Poreba, Member of the EU Parliament and President of New Directions think tank, visited ERIA during his recent trip to Jakarta. He was accompanied by Mr Witold de Chevilly, the Executive Director of New Directions, and Arum Pudyolaksono, Third Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia – Brussels. They were greeted by Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA’s COO, accompanied by ERIA staff and experts. 

The conversation explored several topics including digitalization, energy, trade, and education and how the two regions can work together to build brighter futures for the people of both regions. Mr Hachiyama thanked Mr Poreba for his interest in ERIA. Both parties agreed to stay in touch on issues of mutual interest.