The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was launched in March 1996 with an inaugural summit of leaders from ASEAN, China, Japan, and Korea, and from the EU member states and the European Commission to foster political dialogue, reinforce economic cooperation, and promote cooperation in other areas.

On the occasion of ASEM’s tenth anniversary, the Foreign Ministries of Finland and Japan sponsored a research project to evaluate the ASEM process and explore future possibilities. The final research report, conducted by the Japan Center for International Exchange and the University of Helsinki Network for European Studies, was presented to the ASEM Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in March 2006 and it served as background material at the ASEM Summit in September 2006.