The Seventh Meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) under the ASEAN - EC Cooperation Agreement was held in Jakarta on 30 April - 2 May 1987.

The Meeting was jointly chaired by Mr. Wisber Loeis, Director-General of ASEAN- Indonesia and Mr. A. Vinas, Director for External Relations, Directorate General I, the EC Commission.

The two parties, recognized that inspite of the slow growth in the economies of ASEAN and the EEC, partly as a result of the world economic situation, relations between ASEAN and the EEC in general leave brought positive results.

There was a wide exchange of views on a number of bilateral trade issues, which it was agreed would be the subject of further consultations within the framework of a joint trade experts working group. On a discussion on international commodities, ASEAN stressed its great dependence on these and the need for both parties to cooperate to tackle commodity issues. In this context, the EC assured ASEAN that it would play an active and positive role at the forthcoming UNCTAD VII Conference.

While ASEAN, as one of the main beneficiaries of the EC Generalized System of Preferences, acknowledged the importance of the scheme in promoting their exports to the Community, they stressed the need to improve the access of their products to the EC market.

Both sides welcomed the establishment of a joint Investment Committee in each of the ASEAN capitals as a means to promote European investment in the region and, in this context agreed to take action to promote industrial cooperation between the two regions. A Fifth Industrial Conference in the Agro-food sector will therefore be held in Bangkok at the end of the year.

Both sides demonstrated their strong commitment to intensify their cooperation by agreeing on a number of new initiatives and approaches in the fields of Human Resources Development, Science and Technology, Energy and Drugs. Emphasis was placed on the need to further intensify HRD cooperation. Amongst the new initiatives agreed were the setting up of the ASEAN - EEC Management Centre and to consider an ASEAN-EC HRD Programme in Development Administration.

An intensification of Science and Technology cooperation through a new programme of joint research in fields such as biotechnology, and a cooperative programme to control urban air pollution was agreed. The opening of an ASEAN - EC Energy Management, Research and Training Centre was announced for July this year which would act, as a focal point for both the transfer of advanced Community know-how to the region and enhancing cooperation amongst ASEAN energy agencies.

Three new regional development aid projects will be initiated shortly in fields of aquaculture, industrial standards and the assessment of fisheries resources.

ASEAN and the EC agreed on the importance of taking common action in the fields of drug control, prevention and rehabilitation and in this light the EC will examine two new proposals submitted by ASEAN.

Both sides acknowledged the progress made in the implementation of projects in fields such as trade promotion and the encouragement of tourism.

The Seventh Joint Cooperation Committee Meeting took place in the friendly atmosphere which characterizes ASEAN-EC relations. ASEAN accepted the EC invitation to hold the next meeting in the Community in 1988.