The UP Asian Center in partnership with the UP Center for International Studies and the UP Department of Euoropean Languages will be holding the Public Lecture, "The ASEAN-European Union Dialogue Partnership Turning 50," on 6 May 2026, 10:30 to 12:30 AM (GMT+8), at the ASEAN and Japan Halls, Hall of Wisdom, Asian Center, UP Diliman. The event is open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register online.
ABOUT THE LECTURE:
The European Union and ASEAN stand as the world's most advanced examples of regional integration. At a time when the rules-based international order faces unprecedented pressure, the Strategic Partnership between these two regional blocs is a vital anchor for global stability. The EU-ASEAN relationship has moved far beyond trade statistics and formal summits; it is now a dynamic partnership tackling the most urgent challenges of our time, from the climate crisis to digital sovereignty. In the latest ISEAS The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey, the EU maintains a lead at the regional level as the third preferred strategic partner, EU (37.7%) and Japan (34.2%), amid the US-CN rivalry, consolidating its reputation as a normative and economic partner that is less entangled in hard security rivalry. As the EU’s Global Gateway initiative gains momentum, the partnership between the European Union and ASEAN is evolving into a powerhouse of sustainable connectivity. For the period 2021-2027, the EU has earmarked more than €250 million for regional cooperation with ASEAN to support key areas aligned with the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, spanning across the three pillars of the ASEAN Community- Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural.
On the 27th and 28th of April, the 25th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting was held in Brunei, an essential stepping stone for our shared ambition to upgrade EU-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2027, alongside celebrating the European Union and ASEAN 50 years of formal diplomatic relations. As the world navigates a complex and multipolar era, this "Golden Jubilee" represents more than just a milestone; it is a catalyst for a deeper, more comprehensive alliance and strengthening political-security dialogue, deepening economic cooperation, fostering socio-cultural ties, and advancing green transition/digital connectivity.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
H.E. SUJIRO SEAM
Ambassador of the European Union to ASEAN
H.E. Sujiro Seam is the Ambassador of the European Union to ASEAN. A seasoned French career diplomat, he previously served as the EU Ambassador for the Pacific and the Ambassador of France to Fiji. Throughout his career, he has held senior roles at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris and served as Consul General in Houston, USA. Ambassador Seam is an alumnus of the prestigious National School of Administration (ENA) and the Institute of Political Science in Paris. Outside of diplomacy, he holds the rank of Colonel in the French Army Citizen Reserve and is an avid practitioner of traditional Japanese martial arts.
ABOUT THE REACTORS
Asst. Prof. RAYMOND MACAPAGAL
Assistant Professor, Center for International Studies
University of the Philippines Diliman
Raymond Aquino Macapagal is an Assistant Professor at the Center for International Studies, University of the Philippines–Diliman, where he teaches courses on the gastronomy of Europe and Southeast Asia. He has a Master’s degree in Food Culture and Communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences - Pollenzo, and has garnered accolades from the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez and the Silay food writing competitions. He is currently a Ph.D. Indigenous Studies candidate at the University of the Philippines–Baguio. He has been supporting community-based tourism in the UNESCO World Heritage Batad Rice Terraces. His most recent work is with Indigenous T'boli heirloom rice farmers in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
ARIEL C. LOPEZ, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Asian Center
University of the Philippines Diliman
Dr. Ariel Lopez is a historian and Associate Professor of Asian Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman and serves as Assistant to the Dean for Research and Extension at the Asian Center. His research interest is on the early modern and colonial history of maritime Southeast Asia, with a focus on the southern Philippines and eastern Indonesia. He obtained PhD, MA, and BA degrees from Leiden University, The Netherlands. His PhD thesis dealt on Islamic and Christian conversions in north Sulawesi (Indonesia) in the colonial period. His current project examines indigenous polity-formation, diplomatic connections and treaty-making practices in island Southeast Asia through the lens of Jawi documents, Dutch and Spanish archival sources.
FRANCES ANTOINETTE CRUZ, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of European Languages
UP College of Arts and Letters
Dr. Frances Antoinette Cruz is an Assistant Professor at the Department of European Languages, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman, and the Deputy Director for Research, Publication, and Resource Collection at the Center for Women's and Gender Studies. She earned her BA in European Languages, major in German and minor in Speech Communication, from the University of the Philippines Diliman, graduating summa cum laude. She also completed an MA in German Studies at University of Bielefeld, a Master in International Studies at UP Diliman, and a PhD in Literature and Linguistics and Political Science from the University of Antwerp and Ghent University. Aside from her work at the College of Arts and Letters, Frances Cruz has also been the co-convener of the Decolonial Studies Program of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, a board member of the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society, and the at-Large South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Representative of the executive committee of the Global South Caucus, International Studies Association. She has served as textbook editor of The Contemporary World (2023), co-editor of International Studies in the Philippines: Mapping New Frontiers in Theory and Practice published by Routledge in 2020, guest editor of the Philippine Humanities Review, and author of various scholarly publications in the fields of digital humanities, international studies, and multilingual research.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
This public lecture is organized by UP Asian Center in partnership with the UP Center for International Studies and the UP Department of European Languages. For inquiries, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.