The signing of the Cebu Declaration on
the Acceleration of the Establishment of an
ASEAN Community by 2015 at the 12th
ASEAN Summit held in Cebu City,
Philippines in January 2007 pushed the
integration five years earlier than the original
target year. In September 2013, however, at
5
th ASEAN Economic Minister (AEM)
Meeting, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the
launch of the AEC was delayed for 12 months
(to the end of 2015 from the beginning).
ASEAN leaders settled on December 31, 2015
(not a day later) as the replacement date,
obviously a face-saving decision after many
years of “AEC 2015” sloganeering