European Union X Association of Southeast Asian Nations (EU-ASEAN)
Topic A: Addressing the Excessive Use of Antibiotics in Agriculture, Livestock, and Fish Farming
Traditionally, antibiotics in agriculture have been used to treat, cure, control, and prevent diseases from reaching or harming animals. Antibiotic use is widely spread in food production in order to promote healthy growth, as the practice eradicates harmful bacteria from animal populations that carry such bacteria and contaminate food (affecting human populations). Therefore, initially and with the correct dosages, antibiotic use was highly beneficial. Though unfortunately in recent years, antibiotic resistance has become a dominant complication; caused mainly by overprescription of antibiotics, antibiotic resistant bacteria are growing in numbers and continue to transmit drug resistant bacteria to humans through food and live-stock. Such diseases are highly infectious and dangerous, even resulting in annual deaths of over 50,000 people, with an estimated death toll of over 10 million individuals by 2050, making this issue a global public health crisis. In addition to rural district concerns (EU), antibiotic resistance is seen to spread through feeds of fish farms in ASEAN countries as well, drawing attention to further concerns. Therefore, delegates must establish set policies regarding the use of such antibiotics (to what extent should they be used) and discuss implications regarding the different live-stock affected and how to moderate their current complications.
Topic B: Improving Existing Trade Networks and Political and Security Cooperations Between Euro-Asian Members
The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continue to deepen their relationships as they work towards the establishment of a “Strategic Partnership”. Decisions regarding upgrading relations have been taken by the EU and ASEAN countries’ Foreign Ministers at the EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on January 21,2019, where they continue to adopt their recent EU-ASEAN Plan of Action (2018-2022). Considering the EU to be ASEAN’s second largest trading partner and the biggest provider of foreign direct investment to ASEAN countries, trade discussions have been noticeably successful. Additionally, dialogues regarding Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime and Maritime Security continue to improve political and security relations. Though despite efforts and improvements, countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar still struggle with internal domestic security and do require more care than others (a possible shift in focus). Additionally, political factors have recently played a huge role in trade deals, where the EU’s partisanship has led to the failure of a free interregional trade zone and possible economic impairments for some members. Therefore, delegates must agree upon realistic procedures that should be taken in order to improve dialogue between the member states (discussions may include: reassessing the set-up of a free-trade zone, reevaluating the ASEAN countries’ dependency on the EU, reviewing the focus of each negotiation, outlining each country’s responsibility, commitment and cooperation).