Economy

ASEF’s activities in the area of Economy address both current economic concerns and long-term trends impacting the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) constituencies. These activities connect representatives from the governments, think-tanks, academia, civil society organisations, the private sector, and international agencies to develop policy recommendations for ASEM leaders.

Economy

ASEF’s activities in the area of Economy address both current economic concerns and long-term trends impacting the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) constituencies. These activities connect representatives from the governments, think-tanks, academia, civil society organisations, the private sector, and international agencies to develop policy recommendations for ASEM leaders.

ASEF Economy Programme

Currently, ASEF’s work under Economy supports the following priorities: post-crisis developments in Asia and Europe, the concept of sustainable growth, and the impact of migration policies on the socio-economic welfare of labour migrants.

Asia Europe Economic Forum (AEEF)

ASEF continued its strong engagement with the Asia Europe Economic Forum (AEEF) in 2014, participating in 2 high-level events in both regions. The AEEF consortium consists of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Bertelsmann Stiftung, Bruegel (overall secretariat), Centre d’Etudes Prospectives et d’Informations Internationales (CEPII), Institute of World Economic and Politics – Chinese Academy for Social Sciences (IWEP-CASS), and Korea University.

10^th AEEF Conference: Asia and Europe in Times of Global Change

15-16 May 2014
Berlin, Germany

The 10^th AEEF Conference examined key economic trends, including the new EU governance structures, revitalising of Europe’s economy, and evolving global monetary policy.

11^th AEEF Conference: What can Asia Learn from Economic Reforms in Europe?

5-6 December 2014
Tokyo, Japan

Key issues discussed at the 11^th AEEF Conference included small-and-medium-enterprise (SME) development and the financial sector, globalisation and income distribution, and strengthening of the world trading system.

Economist Roundtable (Side-event to the 11^th ASEM Finance Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FinMM11))

12 September 2014
Milan, Italy

In addition to 2 conferences, ASEF, in partnership with AEEF secretariat Bruegel, organised a special Economist Roundtable. This event was held in conjunction with the 11^th ASEM Finance Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FinMM11). Featuring leading Asian and European economists, the discussions offered insights into key macroeconomic and financial trends of interest to participants at ASEM FinMM11.

Participants at 11^th AEEF Conference in Tokyo, Japan

Partners

ASEF Editors’ Roundtable

In 2014, ASEF drew attention to the rapidly-evolving global media landscape. New media technologies continue to bring about new platforms and paradigms of communication which can create impact on economic, social and political change across Asia and Europe.

7^th ASEF Editors’ Roundtable: Asian and European Media in the Digital Age

15-17 October 2014
Milan, Italy

Organised in conjunction with the 10^th ASEM Summit (ASEM10) in Milan, Italy, the 7^th ASEF Editors’ Roundtable: Asian and European Media in the Digital Age brought together more than 25 editors-in-chief and senior media commentators from leading Asian and European media. The Roundtable provided a platform for the media leaders to share the experiences of their agencies in dealing with and adapting to the changing face of the media. In addition to providing a learning opportunity, this event helped identify opportunities for closer cooperation between Asian and European media.

The concluding session of the Roundtable brought together more than 40 experts from Asian and European think-tanks along with the participating editors and media leaders. This was an open session with a panel discussion on the Facing Asia-Europe Challenges: The Role of Media and New Communication Tools moderated by Mr Gilles DEMPTOS, Asia Director of World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The speakers of this session included Ms Maria A. RESSA, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Editor, Rappler Inc., Philippines, Mr Didier LAURAS, France Chief Editor, AFP, France, Mr Fraser CAMERON, Director, EU-Asia Centre, Belgium, and Ms Carolina HERNANDEZ, President, ISDS, Philippines. The session saw an engaging panel discussion and active audience participation.

The event was co-organised with the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), in cooperation with the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), and supported by World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and Chatham House.

The conclusions and recommendations from the 7^th ASEF Editors’ Roundtable will be published as a monograph by Chatham House. The free download version of this publication will be available on ASEF and Chatham House websites.