Preparation for Asia-Europe Meeting begins

[26.01.2011]

Ministers for Education from Asia and Europe meet in Copenhagen in May to discuss a closer cooperation. On the 24th and 25th of January, their officials met to initiate preparations for the big meeting.

Eyes on Denmark: This year, Danish capital Copenhagen welcomes ministers and officials from Asia and Europe to discuss key education topics.Asian students more often set sail for European shores as part of their studies than their European counterparts make the reverse journey. This, many believe, causes imbalance in international student mobility.

Balanced mobility is one of four topics that ministers are to discuss.

Balanced mobility is one of four topics that ministers from 46 European and Asian countries are to discuss when they meet for the ASEMME3 education summit in Danish capital Copenhagen from 9- 10 May 2011.

The other topics are:

• Quality assurance and recognition
• Lifelong Learning
• University-Business cooperation

Officials meet first

The topics were finalised at the first of two so-called Senior Officials Meetings held in the historic surroundings of Eigtved’s Warehouse in Copenhagen on the 24th and 25th of January.

Senior Officials Meetings are where the ministers’ officials prepare everything that the ministers must assess when they convene in May.

Facts about ASEM and ASEMME

The Asia-Europe Meeting was inaugurated in the late nineties as informal meetings between heads of state from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU with the purpose of strengthening cooperation between the two regions. The list of participants has expanded since, and now also includes China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. The political agenda has widened its focus too. Now there are meetings for Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Finance and Ministers for Education. ASEMME stands for Asia Europe Meeting for Ministers for Education.