ABSTRACT
This chapter elaborates on the activities of the European Union (EU) and its member states in assisting Indonesia and Southeast Asia with the haze problem. Parallel to the devastating unfolding of the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC), a smoke blanket, the so-called haze, stemming from the land and forest fires in Indonesia, also severely impacted the Southeast Asian economies. The chapter discusses issues of forest governance related to the haze, since good and sustainable forest governance can help mitigate the haze problem. It presents the EU as a short- and long-term-oriented actor, whose engagement was both responsive and pre-emptive. The Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and other agencies have been integral European actors when implementing the anti-haze activities. After the end of the Cold War, the European Commission's competences in the EU's external affairs expanded significantly and the European Commission has become a prominent assistance provider to tackle environmental issues in Asia; it has been integral in commissioning anti-haze projects.
