At the third high-level economic dialogue between the EU and Japan, on Tuesday 27 June, the two sides agreed on “digital trade principles”. These commit the EU and Japan to a number of principles to ensure an open digital economy. However, the two-page document is not binding.
It covers issues such as data protection, the importance of trustworthy technologies, barriers to data flow and cybersecurity standards.
“Reaching agreement in these areas will benefit businesses on both sides and put us at the cutting edge of the digital economy”, said European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
To see the digital trade principles, go to https://aeur.eu/f/7S4
The high-level economic dialogue also provided an opportunity for the two parties to discuss economic security. For example, the EU and Japan want to discuss possible cooperation on instruments such as anti-coercion, export controls and investment screening.
When discussing value chains, which the two partners believe must be resilient, the ‘Critical Raw Materials Club’ was mentioned during the dialogue. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)