ABSTRACT
ASEM summits do not stand on their own. Though the meeting of the heads of state and government at the Royal Palace in Brussels in early October 2010 was the main event, ASEM 8 also provided the stage for three further constituent parts of the ASEM ‘family’. An ASEM parliamentary forum (the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership, ASEP), an ASEM People’s Forum (AEPF) and an ASEM Business Forum (AEBF) were held in parallel to the gathering of the leaders. In addition, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) – ASEM’s only permanent institution – organised a Connecting Civil Societies Conference including an editors’ round table on the margins of the summit. Finally, the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) set up an art exhibition in conjunction with the ASEM summit. This chapter chronologically recounts the events that took place before, during and immediately after the actual summit. Taken together, they shaped the Brussels message and the narrative of ASEM 8.
