The event focused on the topic of “Private Sector Engagement with ASEAN: the Rules and Modalities” and was opened by the high-level remarks of H.E. Ms Barbara Plinkert, EU Ambassador to Singapore, and Ms Sulaimah Mahmood, SEOM/ATF-JCC Chair and ASEAN Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore.

Private sector engagement is a fundamental driver under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 and is meant to assist ASEAN to improve its legislative and regulatory activities, foster regional economic integration by allowing the private sector to more effectively address its problems at the border and facilitate intra-ASEAN trade, and streamline non-tariff measures (NTMs) or remove non-tariff barrier (NTBs) by means of discussions and consultations, rather than dispute settlement.

A total of over 60 participants from both ASEAN Member States’ Governments and ASEAN’s private sector took part in the Roundtable and the discussions were lively, frank and based on participants’ experiences, proposals and wealth of expertise in the process of public-private dialogue.