Nótaí faisnéise

18-09-2025

A month ahead of Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN, a delegation from the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly made an official visit to Dili, Timor-Leste, from 15 to 17 September 2025

A delegation of MEPs from the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly has concluded a mission to Timor-Leste, where they stressed the European Parliament's long-standing solidarity with the East Timorese people and its commitment to strengthening EU-Timor-Leste relations. The visit took place against the backdrop of growing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific. Timor-Leste is among the few countries to have ratified the Samoa Agreement and is now approaching the final stage of its accession to ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The fact-finding mission's key findings can be summed up in three areas:

• Democracy, human rights and social development: Timor-Leste's democratic transition continues to be a remarkable success story, though further reforms are needed to reinforce institutions and public trust. Challenges remain in education and health investment, gender equality and women's empowerment, and child protection.
• Economic diversification: There is an urgent need to reduce dependency on oil revenues and foster a business-friendly environment to attract investment and unlock the country's economic potential, in particular in the agriculture sector, climate resilience and tourism.
• Regional engagement: The MEPs welcomed Timor-Leste's forthcoming accession to ASEAN and will support the country's efforts to navigate a complex Indo-Pacific environment while safeguarding its sovereignty and a balanced foreign policy.

During the visit, MEPs met with José Ramos Horta, President of the Republic and 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate, the Parliament's Speaker Maria Fernanda Lay, and Vice Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay. They also held meetings with a number of ministers, including the ministers for the interior, justice, agriculture, petroleum, and state administration, and with the vice minister of parliamentary affairs and vice minister of ASEAN affairs.

There were also meetings with the main opposition party, representatives of civil society, representatives of international organisations, the private sector, and ASEAN diplomats, where the MEPs raised topics such as the G7+ initiative. The delegation also met with Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, the Archbishop of Dili, to discuss peace and reconciliation in a fragile context.

Field visits to European projects such as the and a coffee farm, allowed the MEPs to assess potential maritime development, trade investment, exports to international markets, and job creation.

The MEPs stressed that the EU's partnership with Timor-Leste is based on shared values, democracy and multilateralism, and extends beyond development to include programmes that foster governance capacity building, youth opportunities, digital innovation, trade, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties. The EU must remain an engaged and reliable partner, including through a strong presence in the country, they said.

Concluding the visit, Delegation Chair Francisco ASSIS (S&D, Portugal) said: "With my colleagues we leave Timor-Leste encouraged by the determination of its leaders, the vibrancy of its civil society, and above all, the energy of its young people. The European Union and the European Parliament will remain close partners at bilateral and multilateral level including within the OACPS Joint Parliamentary Assembly, as Timor-Leste continues to build a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future."

The European Parliament's delegation to the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, as established by the Samoa Agreement, was led by Francisco Assis and included the following MEPs:

Dariusz JOŃSKI, Vice-Chair (EPP Poland)

Niels HANSEN (EPP, Denmark)

Bogdan ZDROJEWSKI (EPP, Poland)

Sérgio HUMBERTO (EPP, Portugal)

Hannes HEIDE (S&D, Austria)

Marit MAIJ (S&D, The Netherlands)

Klara DOSTALOVA (PfE, Czech Republic)

Michal WIEZIK, Vice-Chair (Renew, Slovakia)

Daniel FREUND (Greens/EFA, Germany)