ABSTRACT
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is committed to
deepening and broadening its internal economic integration and linkages,
with the participation of the private sector, to realise an ASEAN Economic
Community by 2010, ASEAN's endgoal. The fishery sector is one of the
11 priority sectors identified by ASEAN Leaders. Roadmaps have been
developed to ensure that the various measures are effectively and aptly
implemented to create an integrated market and production base for each of
these sectors. The implementing guidelines fall under two categories: (1)
common measures, which cut across all the 11 priority sectors; and (2)
specific measures, which have direct relevance to a specific sector. This
paper discusses the Roadmap for Integration of the Fisheries Sector,
including the results of the key informant interviews conducted by the
WorldFish Center's research team in 7 out of the 10 ASEAN countries
visited. The paper also includes insights on the existing common and
specific measures contained in the roadmap, as well as recommendations on
some additional strategies that can help hasten the implementation of the
roadmap agreement in member countries.
INTRODUCTION
In December 1997, ASEAN Heads of State and Government unveiled the ASEAN Vision
2020. This document, among other things, envisioned a more economically
integrated ASEAN. In particular, the ASEAN Vision 2020 foresees a stable,
prosperous, and highly competitive regional economic area where there is free
movement of goods, services, investments, and capital. Hence, the concept of an
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) would seem to be consistent with the economic
aspect of this Vision.
Under this initiative, the AEC will see the ASEAN becoming a single market and
production base. The diversity that characterises the region will be turned into
opportunities and business complementation to make ASEAN a more dynamic and
stronger segment of the global supply chain and world economy. It attempts to
combine the economic strengths of member states for regional cohesiveness and
enhanced global competitiveness by accelerating the integration of the various
economic sectors in the member countries.