On Thursday 13 July, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will welcome the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, to Brussels for the EU/Japan summit. They are due to adopt a joint declaration at the end of the meeting, in which they will take stock of the various partnerships existing between them and ways of strengthening them.
Relations between the two parties are mainly characterised by a strategic partnership agreement and an economic partnership agreement for the commercial part. The leaders want to see what progress has been made in implementing these and other sectoral agreements, such as the digital partnership, the ‘green alliance’ and the connectivity agreement.
The three participants are expected to focus on digital technologies and the issues surrounding them. Cooperation on semi-conductors, for example, is crucial for both parties. The summit should provide an opportunity to discuss the measures taken regarding the trade of these products in recent months by various global players, including Japan, and to touch on the wider issue of economic security.
As for international and regional issues, discussions between the two parties will focus in particular on the Indo-Pacific region and China. This will involve, for example, reiterating our commitment to international rules and multilateralism.
At the summit, the leaders also want to reiterate their position on the war in Ukraine and reiterate their support for Kyiv. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)