ABSTRACT
Albeit being a relatively young area of EU-ASEAN collaboration, relations in disaster management or Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief (HADR) can be considered a success story of interregional cooperation. The analysis shows that a very high potential actorness of the EU in this policy field has led to a substantial bilateral cooperation. It unveils that ASEAN representatives perceive the pervasive danger that natural disasters pose to human life across Southeast Asia, while at the same time acknowledging insufficient regional capacities to deal with the challenge. In search of cooperation partners, the EU appeared as a capable actor with tangible capabilities in this field to many ASEAN observers. Positive perceptions of the EU, triggered by a specific domestic demand in Southeast Asia, are presented to have translated into effective EU-ASEAN cooperation in disaster management in the shape of the ASEAN-EU Emergency Management Programme (AEEMP), the Integrated Programme in Enhancing the Capacity of the AHA Centre and ASEAN Emergency Response Mechanism (EU-SAHA), and ARF Disaster Response Exercises (DiREx). The chapter hence highlights best practice of EU external action, while also expanding our knowledge of the causal mechanism linking external perceptions of the EU with actual bilateral cooperation.
