Brussels, 21/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - EU and Japanese negotiators are hoping to consolidate the draft agreement texts when they meet once again, this week in Brussels.
Thirteen working groups - trade in goods (including market access and rules), technical obstacles and non-tariff barriers, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, health and plant health measures, services, investment, public procurement, intellectual property, sustainable development, competition policy, business environment and regulation, and dispute settlement - will meet around the table this week (21-25 October) at the third round of EU-Japan free-trade agreement talks. Discussions opened with a plenary session on Monday and will close with a further plenary on Friday.
The parties have now got down to the nub of the talks on all chapters and have exchanged proposals for the agreement texts on almost every issue. This week's main aim is to consolidate these draft texts and to begin to fill in any gaps.
In an effort to speed up the negotiation process, which might take as long as five years, Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi agreed at the end of September to exchange offers on goods and services before the EU-Japan summit, due to take place in Tokyo on 19 November, so that they can be discussed at that meeting (see EUROPE 10929).
Over and above tariff liberalisation for goods and improved access to the Japanese agricultural market, where certain products, such as rice, sugar, beef, pork and dairy products, are highly protected, the EU is keen to eliminate non-tariff barriers in Japan and to improve access to public contracts, in particular in railways and public transport, a source close to the matter said on Monday. It has been established that reduction of EU tariff barriers and removal of Japanese non-tariff must go hand in hand. The EU negotiating mandate contains a review clause for spring 2014 so that progress made on this by Japan can be assessed and a suspension clause if not enough progress has been made. (EH/transl.fl)