The conference 'Europe-Asia: Strenghtening the Informal Dialogue' was held at Ifri in November 1996 on the occasion of the first plenary meeting of the Council for Asia-Europe Cooperation.

The participants came from 18 countries and exchanged Asian and European visions to bring the two regions closer on key issues: social systems and reform, economic and trade policies, strategic perspectives, and the potential role of Europe in Asia, as well as the cultural communication and network.

About the authors:

Bernard Brunhes is the Chairman of Bernard Brunhes Consultants and Bernard Brunhes International. He is the Chairman of the Commitee on Employment for the preparation of the Eleventh National Plan.

Hervé de Charette is the French Foreign Affairs Minister.

Carolina Hernandez is a Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines and the President of the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS), Inc. She also is the Carlos P. Romulo Professor of International Relations at the University of Philippines, co-Chairperson of CSCAP-Philippines, and a member of the CSCAP Steering Committee.

Sang-Kyung Kwak is a Professor of Economics at the Korea University (Seoul) and the Chairman of Korea Forecasting Associates.

Patrick Messerlin is a Professor at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (IEP) and a member of the European Union working group on State subsidies.

Simon Nuttall co-chairs the task-force on the rationale and common agenda for Asia-Europe cooperation set up by CAEC. He is a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gerald Segal is a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the Director of the Economic and Social Research Council's Pacific-Asia Program. He also co-chairs the European Council on Security and Cooperation in Asia-Pacific, and the European secretariat for the CAEC. He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum.

Wim Stokhof is the Director of the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS).

Juksuf Wanandi is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and a member of the Board of Directors within the CSIS. He is the Chairman of the Indonesian National Committee for PECC, the Chairman of CSCAP Indonesia, and he co-chairs the Steering Committee of CSCAP. He is the President Director of the Jakarta Post, a Board Chairman of the Graduate School of Management Prasetiya Mulya, and the Chairman of the Foundation of Panca Bhakti University in Pontianak. 

The Council for Asia Europe Cooperation:

Twelve research institutes in Asia and Europe have agreed to form the Council for Asia-Europe Cooperation (CAEC). This decision is the result of an extensive process over many years of cooperation between these institutes and has been stimulated by the specific request for greater Asia-Europe cooperation at the ASEM summit in March 1996.

The main purpose of the CAEC is to encourage and facilitate greater cooperation among Asian and European intellectuals and policy specialists in order to enhance discussions about the future direction of Asia-Europe relations. The CAEC is intended to be flexible and non-exclusive. It is managed by an executive committee composed of the representatives of 12 major research institutes in Asia and Europe. The Asian secretariat is the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and his European secretariat is the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

The CAEC has begun with two projects, each undertaken by a task force. The first task force, coordinated by Simon Nuttall, Hadi Soesastro, and Carolina Hernandez, has produced a paper on The Rationale and Agenda for Cooperation between Asia and Europe. The second task force, coordinated by Tadashi Yamamoto and Gerald Segal, has produced An Inventory of Research on Asia-Europe Relations. The CAEC welcomes other initiatives that may be undertaken under its auspices. Both task forces report to several plenary meetings, including in Paris, Tokyo and London, before the next ASEM summit.