At the 8th ASEM Summit in Brussels (4-5 October), three new countries are set to become members: Russia, Australia and New Zealand. This book looks at their motivations in joining the ASEM process and also examines how the existing ASEM members view the changing dynamics that enlargement could bring to ASEM. Since its creation in 1996, ASEM has already grown from 26 to 48 members and the expectations about what ASEM could and should achieve inevitably differ: would it be better for it to remain as a place for informal dialogue or to provide concrete deliverables? The book also shows the need to rethink the working methods and the coordination process, in order to better organise the work within such a heterogeneous group of countries, regional groupings (EU and ASEAN), and other actors such as the business community and civil society.

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EU Centre and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung