Joint Press Statement: Singapore-EU Senior Officials' Meeting, 30 May 2014

                   A Singapore-EU Senior Officials’ Meeting was held in Singapore on 30 May 2014.  The Meeting was co-chaired by Mr Simon Wong, Deputy Secretary in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Viorel Isticioaia-Budura, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service.

                   Both sides acknowledged the positive developments in Singapore-EU relations in the past few years, as evidenced by numerous high-level visits and meetings.  They reaffirmed their commitment to further reinforcing these relations.  In their productive discussions, Senior Officials covered economic and political developments in Singapore and the EU, bilateral cooperation and a wide range of international and regional issues of mutual interest. 

                   In particular, the meeting discussed the next steps towards the signature of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which were both initialled in 2013.  These agreements will provide the framework for Singapore-EU relations in the coming years. 

                   Singapore and the EU identified a number of areas for closer cooperation, in particular civil aviation, maritime security and higher education.  The meeting further highlighted areas of priority for cooperation between ASEAN and the EU.

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EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE

EUROPEAN UNION

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

30 MAY 2014