Letters from Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong to New and Former European Council Presidents

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong has written a congratulatory letter to new European Council President António Costa and a valedictory letter to former European Council President Charles Michel. The text of the letters is appended.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

31 DECEMBER 2024

13 December 2024

His Excellency António Costa

President of the European Council

Dear President Costa,

I extend my warmest congratulations on your appointment as President of the European Council.  

          Singapore and the EU enjoy a substantive and multifaceted partnership. We share common interests in supporting multilateralism and a rules-based international order. We have built up strong trade and investment links and have expanded our collaboration into new areas like digital transformation and the green transition. Our economic engagement is anchored by the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Digital Partnership. The EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement, which was recently concluded in July 2024, will also help both sides seize new opportunities in the digital economy.

I look forward to working closely with you to further deepen relations between Singapore and the EU. I wish you good health and every success in your new appointment.

Yours sincerely,

Lawrence Wong

13 December 2024

His Excellency Charles Michel

Kingdom of Belgium

Dear Excellency,

I would like to thank you for your consistent efforts to deepen relations between the EU and Singapore during your time as President of the European Council.

         You presided over the conclusion of several milestone agreements that significantly enhanced our economic links. These include the entry into force of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement in 2019, the signing of the first EU-Singapore Digital Partnership in February 2023, and the conclusion of negotiations on the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement in July 2024.

        The ASEAN-EU relationship also strengthened during your tenure. The ASEAN-EU dialogue partnership was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2022 and we signed the Comprehensive ASEAN-EU Air Transport Agreement in the same year. I appreciated your insights on ways to expand the ASEAN-EU relationship when we last spoke in July.

I wish you good health and every success in your future endeavours and look forward to meeting you again soon.

Yours sincerely,

Lawrence Wong