Conference marks 50 years of co-operation

The seventh EU-Republic of Korea Summit has opened in Brussels.  The summit marks 50 years of bilateral co-operation between Brussels and Seoul.

Attending the event will be European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea, who took office earlier this year after her election in December 2012. European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn will also attend the summit.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Van Rompuy said: “Over the years, our relationship has turned into a strategic partnership. We co-operate with Korea in multilateral fora in working for peace and prosperity, promoting non-proliferation and disarmament, protecting human rights, fostering cyber-security and mobilising our capabilities for the promotion of sustainable development.”

The conference will start with a short tête-à-tête followed by a plenary session before the summit lunch. Geoghegan-Quinn and the Korean Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Choi Mun-kee, will sign an arrangement for the exchange of researchers.

Paying tribute to the formation of a “truly strategic partnership”, Barroso said: “During this summit, we will move forward our successful co-operation in the political area as well as in the economic one where our trade agreement features as an important landmark.

“Korea’s goal of ‘creative economy’ and the EU’s strategy of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth are complementary and we have much to gain from co-operating with each other in areas such as research, higher education and industry. We also appreciate Korea’s role on global issues and we intend to bring our positions further together on G20, international development and climate change.”

A Leaders; declaration marking 50 years of the establishment of bilateral relations between the EU and the Republic of Korea will also be issued.