ASEAN-BAC To Recommend 11 Proposals For Post-2015 ASEAN Vision

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Malaysia will be recommending 11 proposals for post-2015 ASEAN vision to ASEAN leaders soon. ASEAN-BAC Malaysia Chairman Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid said the proposal would be focusing on initiatives to further stimulate the intra-ASEAN trade with respect to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). "The proposals are still in the pipeline because we will develop them further. The submission in November this year will focus primarily on the post-2015 ASEAN," he said at a media briefing on the upcoming ASEAN Business Awards Malaysia (ABAM) on April 24, here Thursday. In close proximity to the 26th ASEAN Summit on April 26-27, Munir said ASEAN-BAC will be hosting a series of key programmes, aside from its regular council meeting. "I will also be chairing the Joint Business Council consultation involving ASEAN+ Business Councils from 10 countries outside ASEAN namely Korea, Russia, Canada, Japan, the United States, European Union and China," he said. In the meantime, ASEAN-BAC Malaysia is scheduled to have its regular consultation with ASEAN leaders at the summit, where it will present reports and recommendations. In a similar development, Munir said ASEAN-BAC Malaysia would put the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on high priority due to their significant contribution to the economy. Currently, he said over 96 per cent of all entreprises in ASEAN are SMEs and they account for more than 50 per cent to 85 per cent of domestic employment. "Their contribution to the gross domestic product and exports stand between 30 per cent and 53 per cent, and between 19 and 31 per cent, respectively," he said. --BERNAMA