The Instrument of Accession of the European Union to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) has been signed by Catherine Ashton on behalf of the EU. Simultaneously the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers signed the Instrument of Extension to agree to the EU's accession from the ASEAN side.

The Instrument of Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, a non-aggression and cooperation pact between ASEAN members and their partners, was signed by Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. At the same time, the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers signed the Instrument of Extension to agree to the EU's accession from the ASEAN side. The ASEAN countries are a priority for the EU. Recently, the Commission published a practical guide for SMEs to help access over €50 billion of finance for businesses in ASEAN and MERCOSUR countries.

Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, stressed that the signature is an important step because it commits us to working together in tackling issues that we face in a peaceful way. It also confirms that we will work together to address some of the security and political concerns of the region.

The TAC is also a precondition for membership of the East Asia Summit. The EU lodged an application to accede to the TAC on 7 December 2006. The process of accession took long because ASEAN had to amend - through a Third Protocol - the Treaty to enable "regional organizations" to accede. This Protocol has been signed in 2010, and entered into force on 12 June 2012.