This course will explore interdisciplinary issues on EU-ASEAN law and relations. The EU and ASEAN are the world’s most advanced regional structures and represent different models of integration. Since the 1980s, the evolution of EU-ASEAN relations has provided rich lessons for the multifaceted concept of interregionalism in international law and relations. As ASEAN emerged as a priority on the EU’s Asia policy agenda after the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Commission’s 2015 “Trade for All” strategy articulated an ASEAN strategy based on individual agreements that will lead to a regionto-region framework. The recent conclusion of the EU’s trade and investment agreements with Singapore and Vietnam reinforces this building-block approach for realizing the EU-ASEAN free trade agreement.
Given the changing status of China, the impasse of WTO negotiations, and the COVID-19 pandemic, EU-ASEAN legal frameworks and relations have become more salient on the global stage. In 2020, the two blocs elevated their “Dialogue Partnership to a Strategic Partnership,” which will enhance economic and security cooperation, as well as sustainable connectivity and development. In 2021, the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy further emphasized the EU’s engagement with “the ASEAN-led regional architecture,” particularly given the economic and political impact of the CPTPP and the RCEP.
In particular, the course will assess EU-ASEAN economic agreements with a focus on cutting-edge areas of trade and investment liberalization, AI and digital trade, and sustainable development including the protection of environmental and labour rights. Students will also gain hands-on experience by working with lawyers or policy makers to solve real-world issues.
This SMU-XO course offers an international experiential learning opportunity that allows students to translate classroom knowledge and theory into practical solutions for various institutions. In addition to visiting law firms, government agencies and international organizations, student will also participate in a consultancy project. Through the project, students will learn how to solve business and political problems with guidance from the faculty and project mentors. The project will focus on evaluating legal problems in different areas of law and recommending/applying solutions to these problems.
This course aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Understand EU-ASEAN law and relations
- Solve real-world legal issues through a student consultancy project
- Incorporate active mentoring by faculty and project sponsors