Brussels, 26/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The 23rd EU-Japan summit will be held in Tokyo on Friday 29 May and is expected to inject fresh impetus to the ongoing bilateral negotiations for both a strategic partnership and a free-trade agreement. It will also confirm increased bilateral cooperation on international security issues and will launch a call for an ambitious international agreement on the climate.
Respective economic and political developments in the EU and Japan will be the focus of a plenary session on Friday between the host delegation, led by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the European delegation, led by European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Tusk and Juncker will be accompanied by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström.
The parties will assess the two ongoing negotiations for a strategic partnership agreement and for a free-trade agreement, which are well under way after eight and ten rounds of talks respectively. The European and Japanese leaders are expected to hail the progress made in these negotiations, while asking their negotiators to further accelerate the two parallel processes.
On the trade negotiations front, the tenth session of technical talks at the end of April enabled progress in the process of consolidating the negotiation texts. The negotiators assessed the possibilities of progressing on a number of complex issues and showed a great deal of flexibility, the European Commission reported. The next round of negotiations will be held in Brussels in July, before the summer holiday. The common goal has thus far been to conclude an agreement by the end of 2015. However, on Friday the European party is expected to assert its desire for a “high level of ambition” in all areas of the negotiations - market access, non-tariff barriers, government procurement, and geographical indications, a diplomatic source stated on Tuesday 26 May.
On Friday, the European and Japanese leaders will also hail the strengthened EU-Japan partnership on security, while stressing the cooperation underway on crisis management. They will discuss new ways of strengthening this partnership, which could include the possibility of future Japanese participation in EU common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions. Against this backdrop, the summit will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War by reaffirming the commitment of the EU and Japan to world peace, reconciliation and regional cooperation.
Also on the bilateral level, the parties will discuss the progress made in sectoral cooperation - especially on space, cyber-security, research and innovation (Horizon 2020), the digital economy and energy.
As regards international issues, recent developments in the neighbourhoods of the EU and Japan will be discussed. Against this backdrop, the summit is expected to call on the stakeholders in the crisis in Eastern Ukraine to implement the Minsk agreement, and the summit is expected to reaffirm the need to continue unity at the G7 summit on this issue. European and Japanese leaders are also expected to reaffirm their common interest in promoting peace and security in Eastern and South Eastern Asia, while stressing the need for all parties in the region to avoid any unilateral action, to maintain the full freedom of navigation and to find peaceful and cooperative solutions to the claims of sovereignty. The Iranian nuclear programme, the situation on the Korean peninsula, in Syria, Iraq and Libya will also be discussed.
With regard to global challenges, the discussions will focus on the international negotiations on the climate, ahead of the UN conference (COP 21) in Paris in December. European and Japanese leaders are expected to call for the adoption of a comprehensive agreement that is applicable to all parties. Against this backdrop, the EU will call on Japan to present an ambitious national target before the G7 summit and by the end of June.
The two parties will also speak about the threat from terrorism, including the actions of Islamic State (IS), and will commit to stepping up bilateral cooperation against terrorism.
In addition, the parties will discuss the post-2015 framework for poverty eradication and sustainable development, global governance and the global economy. The multilateral trade agenda, including the WTO Doha round negotiations, will be discussed during this session. (Emmanuel Hagry)