This conference was organized by the European Commission. Its main purpose is to encourage interested non-officials i.e. public-policy thinkers, advisers and experts from think tanks, academia, civil society, press and private consultancies to contribute their ideas to the ongoing official Asia-Europe Meeting dialogue. At two (working) months from the ASEM 8 Summit, its timing is designed to encourage a strategic dialogue on Asia-Europe region-to-region relations, giving an opportunity for interested experts outside the official sphere to discuss and communicate their ideas.

The objectives of this meeting are to elucidate, discuss and, where possible, identify priorities and positions on important areas of common interest. The particular themes it might focus on, are:

• Regional architectures and security arrangements in Europe-Asia political relations
• Evolving roles of Asia and Europe in setting global economic and financial policies and regulations
• Challenges and policies of Asia and Europe in relation to environmental regulations and climate change
• Caring for the human dimension in Europe-Asia relations, in particular for sustainable development, social cohesion, migration and cooperation on education and culture.