The 8th Asia-Europe Young Leaders’ Symposium, `Shifting Paradigms in Asia-Europe Relations: Translating Common Challenges into Common Opportunities,’ was conducted from 29th November to 3rd December, 2004 in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Here, over 70 leading young professionals from politics, business, academia, media, the arts and civil society came together to grapple with emerging trends and current developments in relation to `a new world disorder.’

Five topics were identified as having implications on the state of Asia-Europe relations in the near future: the effect of population trends on social welfare systems; the future of economic co-operation (or confrontation); the design of a common cultural portal; enhancing the dialogue among cultures and civilisations; and elections as an end or means to democratisation.