Brussels, 31/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Launched after their bilateral summit of 28 May 2011, the “scoping exercise” on negotiations on a free-trade area between the EU and Japan has now been completed, Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced after the meeting of EU trade ministers on Thursday 31 May. “The end of the scoping exercise does not mean that we now open negotiations”, he said, however, stating that, “in the coming weeks”, the Commission will submit draft negotiating directives to the Council prior to its being granted a mandate to negotiate.
Against a gloomy background following the double disaster of a massive tidal wave and then the major nuclear incident at Fukushima in March 2011, the EU and Japan agreed last year to deepen their economic relations. According to Danish Trade Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr, who chaired Thursday's meeting, an EU-Japan free-trade agreement would double bilateral trade. (EH/transl.rt)