The European Union (EU), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand (MFA) and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) joined hands to plant trees at the heart of the Thai capital, in celebration of over 60 years of EU-Thailand relations.
Carried out on Europe Day, the tree planting is part of a series of celebratory events in May to mark a new chapter in EU and Thailand relations. The EU’s annual commemoration of peace, solidarity, diversity and unity, Europe Day is set on 9 May, the date when the 1950 Schuman declaration proposed a new form of political cooperation in Europe that became the precursor to what is now the EU.
Mr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok and Ms Busadee Santipitaks, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, planted three symbolic Siamese Rosewood trees with H.E. Mr David Daly, Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand at Lumpini Park in Bangkok.
Siamese Rosewood, or pa-yoong is an endangered species, which the EU funds to conserve through the project Partners Against Wildlife Crime. Distinguished guests from EU and ASEAN Member States as well as the wider diplomatic community joined the ceremony.
At the tree planting event, Ambassador Daly praised the meaningful gesture: “Today’s ceremony represents the lasting friendship between Europeans and Thais. Our common aspirations for resource-efficient, inclusive, innovative and green economies are clearly indicated in the bilateral Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) signed in December 2022. Big changes can start in little ways, and the trees we plant here today – along with our partnership and friendship – will continue to grow for generations to come.”
The public event highlights the EU’s and Thailand’s joint commitment to promote green, sustainable and liveable cities. With the EU’s plans to donate a further 600 trees across Bangkok, the action supports Bangkok’s green initiatives which are also in line with the European Green Deal.
EU-Thailand relations are based on a longstanding cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, sustainable development, climate change, culture and human rights. Relations were recently strengthened with the signing of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in December 2022, and the announcement to resume negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in March 2023.
The tree planting comes days ahead of the EU Sustainable Food and Craft Market 2023 to be held from 11.00 to 20.00 hours on 20 May 2023 at Museum Siam, where the public will have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of EU and Thai vendors with innovative ideas for sustainability in line with the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, and enjoy family-friendly activities around recycling, food waste reduction and other forms of sustainable consumption and lifestyles.
Further details on the market will be released in the coming days on the Facebook and Twitter pages of the EU Delegation to Thailand (EUD).
