EU-CELAC 4® Summit 2015 Brussels Brussels, j ^ p£y 2в15 Dear Sir / Dear Madam, We have the pleasure to invite you to the EU-CELAC Business Summit which will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday 10 June 2015. _ i.|_ The theme of the Business Summit is "Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean: Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth by enhancing the role of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises", and takes place back-to-back with the Heads of State and Government EUCELAC Summit scheduled on 10th and 11th June 2015. The European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have enjoyed privileged relations since the first bi-regional Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1999, which established a strategic partnership between the two regions. They are natural partners linked by strong historical, cultural and economic ties. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), launched in 2011, is a regional mechanism for dialogue and cooperation encompassing for the first time all 33 LAC countries. The European Union is committed to develop an ambitious and comprehensive partnership with the CELAC region. Development cooperation at regional level involving the private sector and SMEs, in particular in the framework of the flagship programme AL-Invest and other development programmes has registered undeniable successes. Both the European Union and CELAC countries have a genuine interest in increasing bilateral trade and investment, business cooperation and technology transfer, and market integration in mutually beneficial relations to boost strong sustainable growth and create jobs. A common challenge for both the European Union and CELAC is to consolidate sustainable economic growth and to ensure that it creates jobs, especially for women and young people, improves the business climate, and enhances the development and competitiveness in international markets of SMEs. Building on the success of the last EU-CELAC Summit and Business Summit, held in Santiago de Chile in 2013, the next Business Summit will focus on major drivers of economic growth and high-quality job creation on both sides of the Atlantic, such as sustainable trade and investment policies, including under ambitious, internationally agreed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines. We therefore trust that the 2015 EU-CELAC Business Summit will set concrete recommendations to work together with our Latin American and Caribbean partners to invest in their industrialization agenda, foster job creation on the basis of skills development, responsible trade and investment, tertiary and technical education to spur innovation and economic growth and provide a decent future for our youth. The 2015 EU-CELAC Business Summit will also provide a unique opportunity to bring together political leaders, CELAC and European Business Organisations CEOs, economic operators (exporters, importers, traders and investors), relevant export promotion institutions and governmental bodies supporting the internationalisation of SMEs and financing institutions. Enclosed please find a concept note and a preliminary draft programme outlining the topics for debate. Please note that this agenda is indicative and remains subject to possible further changes. After the plenary session, specific workshops will follow to give room for more focused discussions. We believe that participation of leading industrialists and entrepreneurs will ensure tangible results. We would therefore be grateful if you would accept to participate in the Business Summit and particularly in the Thematic Workshops. We hope that we can rely on your support to make this Business Summit a success. As a first step, please confirm your participation by registering your interest to https://www.seeuthere.com/event/m2625a35-QLXOJI4SGWD2 by 10 April 2015 and we look forward to pursuing this challenging experience with you. Yours faithfully, / Daniel Calleja, Fernando Frutuoso de Melo, Director General Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission Director General Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission