The 2nd Meeting of the ASEM Directors-General and Commissioners of Customs took place in Vienna, Austria (20-21 June 1997).

The ASEM Customs DG-Commissioners Meetings follow up on the agreement made between ASEM Leaders during the 1st ASEM Summit of Heads of State and Government (Bangkok, 1-2 March 1996).

ASEM Customs bureaus are to undertake facilitation and liberalization measures involving the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures, to deal with illicit drug trafficking and to consider the development of closer co-operation in these areas among the Customs authorities in Asia and Europe.

The meeting confirmed that the areas of common interest between Europe and Asia in the context of enforcement which offer particular scope for increased customs co-operation are those of drugs, chemical precursors, money laundering, customs commercial fraud, firearms and intellectual property rights.