President Juncker attends Asia-Europe Business Forum

Delivering his keynote speech to business leaders gathering in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, President Juncker i called for strong public-private partnerships to promote the trade and investment that will deepen ties between Europe and Asia and deliver lasting economic prosperity.

President Juncker set out his commitment to work for a global economy that is fair, transparent and governed by rules."The business community will play a central role," he said. "You are the engines of change and innovation. You have the power to bring our two great regions closer together. But with your power comes responsibility. You have a duty to act as good citizens: respecting the rules of the game, investing in people and taking care of our planet."

The President highlighted the commercial opportunity for the two regions: "Europe and Asia share a clear interest in better connecting our two continents. This is not only a question of building new networks in transport and in communications. We must also harmonise our regulations and standards so that people, data, goods and services can move freely." Looking to the digital economy, President Juncker argued for the need to reconcile opportunity with basic values, including privacy. This would require an investment in digital skills as well as clear rules to protect consumers so that they develop trust in e-commerce. "Europe and Asia need to develop a common understanding on all of these questions," said the President.

The Asia-Europe Business Forum is part of the build-up to this week's Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). On 15-16 July, President Juncker will attend the 11^th ASEM Summit together with EU High Representative and Commission Vice-President, Federica Mogherini i, and European Council President, Donald Tusk i. The Summit will focus on global and regional issues that include security, terrorism, climate change, migration, economic cooperation and sustainable development.