The European Commission announced on Monday 10 April that progress had been made in the technical level talks on an EU-Japan free-trade agreement. This 18th round of talks, which took place in Tokyo from 3 to 5 April, came hard on the heels of the re-statement by the two parties on 21 March of their commitment to concluding the negotiations as quickly as possible.
“Work progressed in a constructive atmosphere, with both sides working with a renewed sense of urgency in order to respect the objective set by the leaders to conclude as soon as possible in 2017. All issues to be covered by the agreement were discussed, including the market access for goods and services”, stated the Commission, without indicating when the next round of talks, due to take place in Brussels, would be held.
“The aims of the negotiations are to strengthen our partnership with our closest ally in Asia and make it easier for European exporters to sell their products and services to a wealthy market of almost 130 million people”, the Commission added.
“The EU exports over €80 billion of goods and services to Japan every year. More than 600,000 jobs in the EU are linked to exports to Japan. Japanese companies employ more than half a million people and form an integral part of the EU’s economy”, it pointed out.
During his visit to Brussels, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, along with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, confirmed the commitment on the part of both parties to conclude negotiations on an EU-Japan free-trade agreement and a strategic partnership agreement before the end of this year (see EUROPE 11570). European and Japanese leaders will seek to maintain the political momentum at the G7 summit in Taormina, Italy, on 26 and 27 May.
EU-Japan free-trade negotiations, which were launched in 2013, still face impediments in the agricultural and industrial areas, particularly motor vehicles. Services, public procurement (particularly access to the Japanese railway sector market), regulatory issues, intellectual property (including geographical indications) and the matter of whether to include in the agreement the system backed by the EU of a special court to settle investment disputes are still on the table (see EUROPE 11729 and 11749).
A domestic issue of some significance for Japan is also playing havoc with the negotiating timetable: the reform of the Japanese dairy sector, which is expected to be discussed by the Japanese parliament this spring. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)