25/06/2026
Bridging Digital Economies: ASEAN DEFA × Dutch Digital Economy
Senior representatives from government, the diplomatic community, business, bilateral chambers of commerce, and the innovation ecosystem gathered on 22 June at the Embassy of the Philippines in The Hague for this joint initiative of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center - Brussels (DTI), Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands and ASEANcham EU.
Hosted by Trade Counsellor Maggie Misolas-Ashley, the programme featured keynote presentations by Sherylyn Marie Aquia, ASEAN SEOM Chair and Director of the Bureau of International Trade Relations, Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines) and Annemarie van der Heijden, Head of the South Asia and Southeast Asia Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
As part of her visit to the Netherlands, Sherylyn Marie Aquia shared insights into the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). As ASEAN's first region-wide Digital Economy Framework Agreement, DEFA aims to create a trusted, secure, and interoperable digital ecosystem across a market of nearly 680 million people, with the ambition of doubling the region's digital economy to US$2 trillion by 2030.
The keynote presentations were followed by a panel discussion featuring Sherylyn Marie Aquia and ShivaPrasad M., CEO & Founder of TelcoSolve, moderated by Marco de Jong, Founder & CEO of Euralinx and Advisory Board Member of ASEANCham EU and accompanied by our External Relations Associate Aäron Prins.
The discussions underscored the shared ambition to strengthen trusted digital trade, innovation, and ASEAN–EU digital connectivity.