Brussels, 22/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the G20 ministers' meeting on Saturday 19 July, European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and Japan's Minister for the Economy, Industry and Trade Toshimitsu Motegi agreed to accelerate the free-trade negotiations between the EU and Japan (which were launched in June 2013) - with a view to concluding an agreement by the end of 2015.
De Gucht and Motegi agreed to ask their negotiators to prepare a roadmap for this. The next round of negotiations will probably be held in Brussels at the end of October.
On 11 July, the EU and Japan completed the sixth round of technical negotiations - which marked the start of a second stage in the negotiations, following the EU's one-year-on progress assessment of the implementation of Japanese commitments on lifting non-tariff barriers. “A high level of ambition in all areas of the negotiations” was shown by the two parties during this latest round of talks, the European Commission had stated (see EUROPE 11120). (EH)