The EU has a strategic interest in strengthening its relationship with Thailand for several reasons. Thailand is supportive of multilateralism and a rules-based international order and could become a partner in security cooperation. The country remains influential within ASEAN, and in the Mekong sub-region, and can therefore play a significant role in implementing the recently concluded EU-ASEAN strategic partnership. EU-Thailand engagement and cooperation will be instrumental to the proactive implementation of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The EU and Thailand have strong economic ties and deeply rooted people-to-people relations. There are also opportunities to cooperate in the context of the Global Gateway—the new European strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education, and research systems across the world. Furthermore, Thailand shares the EU’s strong political commitment to sustainable development and is an important partner in implementing the UN2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Key areas of joint EU-Thailand interests include external aspects of the European Green Deal; exchanges; and peer learning on science, technology and innovation, digitalization, and the digital transition. Inclusive growth, decent work, and labor migration are key issues for the sustainable development of Thailand, to tackle inequality and persisting pockets of poverty. There is a growing interest in and awareness of the business and human rights agenda, and associated due diligence, especially among larger companies, with exposure to global markets.
The EU-Thailand Cooperation Facility enhances EU-Thailand relations by supporting policy dialogues on a wide range of issues relevant to the partnership between both parties. The project supports strategic partnerships on EU-Thailand interests by working with diversity of stakeholders—including civil society and the private sector—and supporting policy outreach and advocacy that strengthens knowledge-sharing and mutual learning.
The project will work through regular engagement with the different sections of the EU Delegation to understand their initiatives and priorities. It will also work with stakeholders such as academia, Thai government, and private sector.
The specific goals of the EU-Thailand Cooperation Facility are to:
