The ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), convened an enlarged ASEAN Roundtable 2010 on 29 April 2010 from 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. This year the heading of the Roundtable was “ACHIEVING THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (AEC) 2015: CHALLENGES FOR MEMBER COUNTRIES.” The objectives of the Roundtable are to examine the state of readiness of the member countries for regional integration and to determine the progress of each of them with regard to the four characteristics of the AEC. It will also seek to define the national level challenges that need to be addressed if ASEAN is to achieve an efficient economic community by 2015.

The Roundtable was attended by approximately 200 academics, businessmen, government officials as well as the media. A number of Ambassadors and High Commissioners, including Ambassador Nopadol Gunavibool, also attended.

After the Opening Remarks by Ambassador K KESAVAPANY, Director, ISEAS; Dr Wilhelm HOFMEISTER, Regional Representative for Southeast Asia, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Singapore,  Mr Pushpanathan SUNDRAM, Deputy ASEAN Secretary General delivered a keynote address on STATE OF READINESS OF THE MEMBER COUNTRIES FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION by . In session I, chaired by Mr Rodolfo SEVERIN, Head, ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Dr Rajah RASIAH, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University Malaya, Malaysia; Dr Hadi SOESASTRo,Senior Economist, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta; Dr Nipon PONGSAKORN, President, Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and Dr Josef T. YAP, President, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, highlighted the current status, problems, challenges and ways forward in their respective countries. In session II, chaired by Dr CHIN Kin Wah, Deputy Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the participants heard Mr ONG Keng Yong, Director, Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore and former ASEAN Secretary-General; and Dato Paduka LIM Jock Hoi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam, speak about their countries.

The origin of the AEC could be traced back to December 1997, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the Vision 2020. It envisaged "a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN economic region" by the year 2020. To realize this, in October 2003, the ASEAN leaders signed the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II aiming at an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as end goal of its economic integration. Later, the deadline was brought forward to 2015.

ASEAN achieved a major milestone at the November 2007 ASEAN Summit in Singapore, when the leaders adopted the AEC Blueprint. The Blueprint is organized along the AEC's four main characteristics: i) a single market and production base; ii) a highly competitive economic region; iii) a region of equitable economic development; and iv) a region that is fully integrated into the global economy.

In view of the accelerated target date, the AEC and its Blueprint look ambitious. A single market and production base requires the removal of trade barriers. But ASEAN suffers from several non-tariff barriers. To achieve a competitive economic region, there has to be a comprehensive and effective competition policy. ASEAN is still grappling with the issue of the development divide, especially since the admission of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV). Finally, the member countries need to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to play their role in and benefit from the attainment of AEC objectives.

All this requires cooperation and coordination among different sectors of the economy. The governments of the ten countries need to take steps to sustain domestic reform so as to comply with their ASEAN commitments on time.