Southeast Asian countries have begun to quietly row back the deadline to Economic Community, formed in 2015, confirmed by many economists and diplomats suspect that different groups for many years close to the barriers to trade unions hit hard.
Rather than as a firm goal, the end of 2015, this year the first summit of the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), its 10 members from Singapore bright lights of the poverty-stricken Myanmar, officials prefer to call a " milestone "in the next few years to build.
In doing so, they are the slow progress of reality bow, even some politically sensitive targets, such as the elimination of non-tariff barriers, reduce barriers to the free movement of labor in different parts of the 600 million people in regression.
Failed to meet the ambitious target, which was originally proposed in 2020, it is no surprise that it, in maritime disputes with China, facing unprecedented split undermine ASEAN's credibility risk.
"Essentially, the building of the ASEAN Community is an ongoing process that will continue even after the 2015 milestone of the company," the Prime Minister of Brunei and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the closing of the summit on Thursday press conference said.
He admitted that the "challenge due to the different levels of development among us".
The final communiqué of the Summit, the leaders have agreed to leverage ongoing work, the establishment of the AEC, ASEAN Economic Community to the 2015 target, there is no specific commitments.
Concerns were raised group, its famous "consensus" approach is designed to protect the interests of the state, but also slow down the decision-making, whether it can bridge the yawning richer countries, such as Malaysia and updates, such as Myanmar and Laos between the poorest members of the economic disparities.
Jayant Menon said: "They are a very long way to go," a senior economist at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Mekong, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
"This kind of exercise - ambitious, very short timeline - only further fracture the organization."
In a Cold War conflict, the activities of rebel movements and the coup in Southeast Asia, was established in 1967, ASEAN has become the region's most successful grouping credited with preventing conflict and promoting trade and investment surge.
But critics say that seems to be its integration reached its limit, unless its decision-making powers of the institutions to be strengthened. The number of employees of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta ASEAN Secretariat has less than 1% of the European Commission, reflecting the government is reluctant to give up sovereignty.
"I believe that no one would say," Philippine President Aquino told reporters, as early as in the oil-rich Brunei, the summit is held in the week, when asked about the 2015 target is impossible, there is a lot of work to do.
Non-tariff barriers are still the most intractable problems, suggesting that the pace of reform is decided by moving the slowest member of his Trade Minister Gregory Domingo said.
"We are opening our own, but our open must be synchronized with others, otherwise, if we let go too fast to get ahead of others, it will be against us."
Complex and unpredictable import standards in some countries - such as the number of a bunch of bananas - agricultural trade liberalization, he said.
Signs AEC not according to plan at a meeting in September last year, said a senior official of Cambodia, it's done, it may be postponed until the end of 2015, rather than the beginning.
Tough measures
Investors and multinational executives are eager to accelerate the integration of ASEAN, giving them better access to a large, young population and rapidly growing middle class in Southeast Asia, is a rare bright spot in the global economy.
But many voice disappointment, coordination regulations progress has not kept pace with the rhetoric and the enterprise's own efforts, to Southeast Asia as a market.
"Frankly, in most countries today, whether local or foreign, no between, when it comes to laws and regulations," Nazir Razak, told Reuters in an interview in February Reporter said chief executive officer of Malaysia's CIMB Bank. "This is our to give substance ASEAN means, what this means is the time of ASEAN."
ASEAN has made significant progress in some areas, almost all of the reduction in imports, for example, in the the wealthy six members of the zero-tariff, to achieve its objectives as it moves to become a free trade area.
Overall, it says that it has achieved 77.5% of the AEC measures from last year's 74.5% in October. But economists say the remaining 20% ??of the step is tough, ASEAN agree that many domestic ratification still faces obstacles.
Although the official tariffs have come down, other barriers to trade is still a long way to go to protect sensitive industries and sectors, such as the government.
For example, Malaysia, has been reluctant to release the the dealer trade barriers, fear of competition of the regional automotive manufacturing industry in Thailand. The Philippines has been placed heavy restrictions on foreign investors, critics say, designed to protect the competitiveness of domestic enterprises.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy, trade protectionism, in turn, has taken a 20% export tax by restrictions on foreign ownership of mines and the introduction of metal ores, efforts to improve the industry in the past year.
Domestic political pressure, there are steps to open within ASEAN workers migrate to a handful of professional.
Plods along the ASEAN, it is possible to be more flexible and mobile, Asian countries to combat a more favorable global free trade agreements, the so-called soup regional agreements complexity beyond.
Some ASEAN countries hope to join the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, including the United States.
"This is a pull in different directions, said:" ADB Menon. "I do not know how this is going to work."
 



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