ABSTRACT
This chapter is divided in three parts. It sketches the institutional context of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process. The chapter analyses how the main non-state actors, civil society, social partners and economic partners, influence both agenda setting and decision-making processes. It focuses on four different non-state actors-Asia-Europe Foundation, Asia-Europe Business Forum, Asia-Europe People's Forum, and Asia-Europe Trade Union Forum showing that new opportunities for civil society are now opening. Political civil society has mediation and communication functions between state and citizens by identifying and interpreting societal problems. This last function is key in the democratisation of the Asia-Europe dialogue, and this is the object of the chapter. Yet, the chapter makes the argument that a democratization of the ASEM process is taking place because European and Asian civil society actors are becoming progressively more involved in the politics of ASEM.
