A European commissioner for external relations has called for strengthened cooperation between European and Asian countries on promoting clean and efficient energy.

Speaking at the first Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Ministerial Conference on Energy Security in Brussels, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, listed four areas for the two regions to work together.

“Combining our efforts would give us considerable leverage in building a more stable, transparent and secure global energy market,” she was quoted by China’s Xinhua news agency as saying.

That would help us mitigate the risks we all face as consumers, and minimize the possibility of supply disruptions, she added.

The EU commissioner also emphasised the need to increase bilateral information exchanges about energy efficiency measures, including building standards, or energy-labelling for products and services.

She also urged to promote and increase investment in renewable energy.

The one-day conference is to discuss and identify positions on important areas of common interest in the energy sector such as energy security, investment, and opportunities and methods of promoting sustainable energy diversification.

ASEM is the main multilateral channel and vital forum for communication and dialogue between Asia and Europe since 1996. The 45 ASEM partners represent half of the world's GDP, almost 60 percent of world's population and 60 percent of global trade./.