But for all this European tradition of haggling about important political posts, the results of the elections, which saw moderate parties holding on to a majority in the parliament, promise a certain level of continuity.

However, a new European Commission and parliament should be an opportunity to adjust the EU’s policy making where it is in urgent need of correction. This is certainly the case regarding the EU’s approach to Southeast Asia.

Europe’s reputation in the region has been deteriorating for years. And everyone who speaks to policymakers and diplomats in Jakarta and other ASEAN capitals must sense the rising levels of frustration about an EU that is increasingly perceived as morally arrogant.

While in the past, ASEAN has been highly dependent on European markets, technology and investments, the rapidly growing economic engagement of the likes of China, Japan and South Korea in the past two decades has given Southeast Asian nations a choice. Today, for the countries of the region, Europe is just one option among many.

In fact, Europe is becoming increasingly dependent on Southeast Asia, too, as the old continent is trying to diversify away from China economically. The diversification of supply chains is a crucial pillar of derisking in the EU, the European efforts to reduce their economic dependence on China.

The European economies are more closely intertwined with China than most others outside Asia, making further diversification of its foreign economic relations particularly important.