On Tuesday 21 March, EU leaders – the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker – and the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, during the latter’s visit to Brussels, confirmed the commitment of the two parties to conclude negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Japan and a strategic partnership agreement before the end of this year.
Mr Tusk asserted before the meeting that, “the EU is fully committed to concluding the negotiations for both agreements very soon and together”. After the meeting, Mr Junker said, “Following our discussions today, I am very confident this will pave the way for a swift agreement this year”. He also said that he hoped to, “conclude these talks during the next EU/Japan Summit” and although he did not provide a date, he pointed out that he would be meeting up with Mr Abe “at the upcoming G7 meeting in Taormina" in Italy next May.
The Commission President also confirmed that European and Japanese negotiators would be meeting for another negotiating round in April in Tokyo and that “the process will intensify further thereafter”.
He pledged that, “As we approach the final stages of the negotiating process, on the EU side we will continue to ensure a high level of transparency and engage directly with stakeholders and civil society on issues related to the negotiations”.
In a scarcely veiled message to US President, Donald Trump, who is in favour of withdrawing into protectionism, Mr Junker added, “We believe this agreement is necessary because we believe in free, fair and rules-based trade. And so we will continue to look out towards the world, rather than return to isolationism. The EU is open for fair business”.
Although Mr Trump made US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) official in January, Mr Abe spoke of his US ally tactfully and explained that it was “important that Japan and the EU cooperate, together with the US, against worrying protectionist trends”.
Launched in 2013, but well advanced, EU/Japan free-trade negotiations are again meeting obstacles in the agricultural and industrial areas, particularly automobiles. Services, public procurement (particularly access to the Japanese railway sector market), regulatory questions, intellectual property (including geographical indications) and the question of whether to include the special arbitration court on investment litigation, promised by the EU, are still on the table (see EUROPE 11729, 11749).
An important domestic Japanese question has also cropped up on the free trade negotiating timetable: this involves reform of the Japanese milk product sector, which is expected to be examined by the Japanese Parliament this spring. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)