A review of reactions to the ratification by MEPs on Wednesday 12 December of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan (see EUROPE 12158) revealed more praise than criticism, against a backdrop of relatively little engagement from critics of the agreement.
"We have been negotiating for years with the Japanese, I have put a lot of effort into this deal, so that we can have the largest trade agreement the world has ever known, since the trade agreement with Japan involves 635 million people," said Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday 14 December at the European Council. He welcomed the fact that the agreement "will enable Europe to increase its exports to Japan by around €13 billion per year, and the agriculture sector will be able to export more than 200% of our current turnover to Japan".
The EU agri-food industry applauds the JEFTA (Japan-EU Free Trade Agreement), which it has supported since the start of the negotiations in 2013. “In these turbulent times, the EU needs to send a clear message to the world that its Single Market remains open to the global economy as long as the level playing field is secured,” said Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca. “The Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan is a great example of such global partnership benefiting both sides and providing our agri-food producers with important market access, but also protection. ”
The same is true for economic operators in other sectors, from DigitalEurope, which represents the digital technology industry, to the Federation the European Sporting Goods Industry, which all welcome an agreement with lucrative prospects. According to BusinessEurope's Director General Markus J. Beyrer, "approving the EU-Japan EPA, the European Parliament delivers on what business and citizens need in a time of political and economic uncertainty."
Moreover, the agreement did not spark the same controversy as its predecessor, CETA with Canada.
In a joint statement, the Foundation for Nature and Mankind, the Veblen Institute and foodwatch France opposed the agreement: "After the CETA, the adoption of JEFTA confirms that European trade policy remains blind and deaf to the social and environmental disorders it generates and that it does not expect to regain its sight any time soon.”
Disappointment was also expressed by animal welfare organisations such as the Eurogroup for Animals, which hoped that JEFTA would raise animal welfare standards in Japan.
Apart from criticism mainly from the Greens/EFA group and GUE/NGL (the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left) parties, which denounced the weakness of environmental and service protection provisions, MEP Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL, German) protested on Twitter against an agreement that, in his view, would result in a loss of €1.6 billion in EU tariff revenue. “This amount is equivalent to the budgetary loss that would be created if Finland left the EU".
Finally, on the Brexit side, the British Conservatives welcome an agreement "which will form the blueprint for post-Brexit trade between UK & Japan.”
"In this agreement, Japan remains sovereign: no sign of any backstop or membership of the customs union,"said Conservative MEP David Bannerman. (original version in French by Hermine Donceel)