ASEAN’s selective adoption and adjustment of elements of European integration has been explained with the help of the notion of ‘normative emulation’: Because the EU is regarded as the epitome of successful regional integration, it was an attractive source of emulation for ASEAN. Rather than being driven by functional demands, the benefits which ASEAN attempted to reap from emulation was international recognition. ASEAN’s image on the international stage was tarnished as a result of the Asian financial crisis; against this background, the ASEAN Charter was developed to provide ASEAN with enhanced external recognition and legitimacy, a need which became more acute as China and India were fast becoming more attractive destinations for foreign investors