Norway and Iceland have joined ASEAN countries in adopting a new economic cooperation plan covering the period from 2026 to 2030.
Norwegian Ambassador to ASEAN Mariann Ruud Hagen and Ragnar Thorvardarson, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland in Tokyo, represented the two Nordic countries at the meeting in Manila on 20 September.
The plan was adopted on the sidelines of the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting, according to EFTA.
Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina A. Roque led the ASEAN delegation, which included ministerial or vice-ministerial representatives from all 11 ASEAN countries.
Six areas of cooperation
The full ASEAN–EFTA Work Plan 2026–2030 sets out cooperation in six areas: free trade agreements, small and medium-sized companies, e-commerce, intellectual property rights, emerging technologies, and trade and sustainable development.
It also opens the door to business missions and closer dialogue between companies from ASEAN and the four EFTA countries.
EFTA already has free trade agreements with six ASEAN members. The agreements with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are the most recent.
Trade in goods between the two blocs exceeded EUR 20 billion in 2025 after nearly quadrupling over the past 20 years.
