The European Union and Thailand

On 14 December 2022, the EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) was signed by both parties during the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium. The EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) has been provisionally applied since 20 October 2024.

The EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) entered into provisional application on 20 October 2024. This modern framework expands cooperation across multiple areas, including political dialogue, trade and investment, justice and home affairs, human rights, environment, energy, climate change, transport, science and technology, migration, education, agriculture, and culture. The PCA also address contemporary issues like cybersecurity, digital issues, communication technologies and disinformation.

Read the factsheet here: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/thailand/eu-thailand-relations-partnership-and-cooperation-agreement_en?s=181

The EU is the 4th largest trade partner of Thailand whereas Thailand is also the 4th largest trade partner of the EU in ASEAN. 

In order to further deepen their trade and investment relationship, the EU and Thailand relaunched negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in March 2023. This announcement paves the way for deeper trade ties with Thailand and confirms the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for the EU’s trade agenda. A future EU Thailand FTA also represents an important building block to strengthen the EU's strategic engagement with this burgeoning region. Both sides aim to achieve an ambitious, modern and balanced agreement covering subjects such as:

• Trade tariffs and non-tariff measures,
• Services, 
• Investment,
• Public procurement, 
• Intellectual property, 
• Regulatory issues and, 
• Sustainable development. 

You can follow updates about the negotiations here: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/thailand/eu-thailand-agreement_en

The EU is the largest aid donor in the world. Our support is delivered in the framework of international laws and multilateralism, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The EU-funded projects in Thailand aim to support the implementation of the EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and the external dimension of EU strategies and policies. In addition, the EU provides funding to civil society organisations in Thailand through regular calls for proposals. The EU has been providing support to encamped displaced persons on the border with Myanmar for many years. Thailand also benefits from several multi-country programmes and cooperates with the EU at the regional level as a member of ASEAN. 

Under the “Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument programme, the EU have allocated € 25 million to a Cooperation Facility for 2021 -2027 to support policy dialogues and cooperation between the EU and Thailand on a broad range of areas. 

Our support is based on the principles of inclusiveness and leaving no one behind. The EU strives to integrate youth perspectives, women empowerment, and disability-inclusion in our approaches. For examples of EU projects in Thailand, please refer to this article.

Global Gateway is the external investment strategy of the European Union. It is the EU’s offer to support partner countries across the world, to pursue the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, while contributing to the Paris Agreement.

Global Gateway intends to crowd in private sector funds for more impact on poverty reduction and the SDGs.  The European Union and its member states will mobilize up to €400 billion in infrastructure development investments between 2021 and 2027, including 10 billion in South East Asia through a combination of grants, concessional loans, and guarantees to de-risk investments. 

The Global Gateway is delivered through a Team Europe approach, which brings together the EU and EU Member States with their financial and development institutions. We provide various types of financial and non-financial support. 

See examples of Global Gateway initiatives happening on the ground in Southeast Asia in the following article.

The Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) is mandated to put the EU foreign policy into action, fast and flexibly, in a policy-driven and integrated approach. It acts as the EU’s first responder in urgent situations, crisis, and to emerging foreign policy needs and opportunities. FPI has five Regional Teams in EU Delegations around the world. 

The FPI Regional Team in Bangkok was officially established in 2017, and operates as a hub for FPI actions in Asia/Pacific to foster close cooperation with over 25 countries across the region. Our thematic focus includes areas of mutual interest and cooperation such as security, economic cooperation and innovation, as well as public diplomacy and outreach. 

With Thailand we engage on a variety of important themes such as economic matters (e.g. corporate social responsibility, a decent future of work, environmentally friendly value chains, intellectual property), youth, culture and media and on security, for instance through our programme ‘Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia’ (ESIWA+) or the CBRN Centre of Excellence initiative. In collaboration with the EU Delegation, we work hand in hand with the Royal Thai Government, EU Member State agencies, international organisations, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Together with partners, we are committed to delivering impactful actions that reinforce the EU’s foreign policy commitments and foster mutual understanding. 

For more information on FPI, please visit: https://fpi.ec.europa.eu/about-us_en

The EU’s humanitarian aid arm began its operations in Thailand in 1995, supporting all of its humanitarian projects across Asia and the Pacific. Headquartered in Bangkok, it has responded to numerous natural and man-made crises across the region.

While much of this aid was previously channelled towards providing essential humanitarian assistance to Burmese displaced persons living in camps along the Thai border, the responses in recent years have focused on meeting the humanitarian needs of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Thailand. 

Given the multi-faceted challenges in southern Thailand, the EU invests in supporting the most vulnerable communities, as well as our humanitarian partners, to be as best prepared as they can for disasters and crises. The overall aim is to build the country’s capacity to better prepare and respond to natural hazards with special consideration to protection and the well-being of children, particularly in times of crises.