Jakarta. Poland is keen on sharing with ASEAN its experience of joining the European Union as the Southeast Asian regional bloc prepares to welcome its eleventh member Timor Leste, according to its envoy.

Poland officially became part of the EU in 2004 – about a decade after it first submitted an application to the European grouping. Poland at the time was also one of the ten new countries that joined the EU in its biggest-ever enlargement. Today, ASEAN is working on making Timor Leste a full member. Having undergone EU accession, Poland wants to share with ASEAN what the integration process was like within the 27-member bloc.

“This year, we would like to organize a few seminars to share the experience of Poland’s integration process into the EU,” Polish Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN Beata Stoczynska told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

Stoczyńska commented on Timor Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak’s recent meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The Polish diplomat said she was aware that “ASEAN was very high on the agenda” in that official visit.

“So perhaps we [Poland] can say something about our experiences in our EU integration, and compare it with Timor Leste’s experiences and ambitions for ASEAN’s full membership,” Stoczynska said.

Timor Leste officially applied for ASEAN membership in 2011. Last November, ASEAN leaders gave in-principle approval to have Timor Leste as the bloc’s eleventh member. Timor Leste’s observer status also gives the country access to all of the group’s meetings, including the summit plenaries. Early this month, Timor Leste sent its top diplomat Adaljiza Magno to join ASEAN’s foreign ministerial meeting.

But there is still work to be done before Timor Leste can fully participate in the ASEAN. A roadmap that details Timor Leste's full membership is also currently in the works.

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Meanwhile, Stoczyńska also congratulated Indonesia for its 2023 ASEAN chairmanship.

“Once again, congratulations to Indonesia for chairing ASEAN this year. ASEAN is a very important association, which is playing a crucial role in the Indo-Pacific idea,” the Polish diplomat said.

“Poland would very much like to cooperate with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries.”

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