Brussels, 22/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner Chris Patten is on an official vist to Tokyo this week with a view to getting the action plan decided at the Europe-Japan Summit in December "off to a good start". In Brussels on Wednesday, the 8th annual session of bilateral dialogue on regulatory reform will be held.
Commissioner Patten said that one of his ambitions during his visit, in talks with his Japanese counterparts, is to ensure that the Action Plan gets off to a good start, beginning with implementation of a first series of measures as soon as possible. He hoped they would have jthe impetus and the credibility required to achieve the ambitions of the Plan as a whole. He told his Japanese discussion partners, who included Prime Minister Koizumi, that it is necessary to develop a strategic partnership that goes far beyond the commercial sphere, with the soundest possible relations. The Action Plan finalised by European and Japanese leaders, provides for a wide range of joint initiatives of a political, economic and social kind, including the fight against terrorism, the promotion of trade between populations and the strengthening of direct two-way investment.
On the subject of direct investment, a theme that this year appears at the centre of Euro-Japanese dialogue on regulatory reform, Mr Patten will insist on the positive contribution that can be made directly by European investment in the economy of the Japanese archipelago. The difficulties encountered by the European firms that seek to gain a foothold and develop in Japan, mainly regarding the regulations on telecommunications services and the lack of administrative transparency, is one of the main concerns highlighted by Europeans in their proposals on regulatory reform in Japan. The Japanese delegation headed by Shinichi Kitajima, Director General for the Economic Affairs Bureau at the Foreign Ministry, will present their own proposals on Wednesday. Mr Kitajima will jointly chair the meeting alongside Fernando Valenzuela, Assistant Director General for External Relations at the European Commission.