KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) — The Twenty-first ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) – EU Trade Commissioner Consultation was held on 25 September 2025. The Consultation was co-chaired by H.E. Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, and H.E. Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency. The Meeting also welcomed the participation of H.E. Filipus Nino Pereira, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, who joined the Consultation as an observer.
The Meeting noted that based on ASEAN’s preliminary statistics, two-way merchandise trade between ASEAN and the EU stood at USD 292.8 billion in 2024, whilst foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow from the EU to ASEAN was recorded at USD 20 billion in the same year. These figures placed the EU as ASEAN’s third largest trading partner and second largest source of foreign direct investment last year.
