Brussels, 22/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - On the occasion of the Round Table organised the day before the EU/Japan Summit, Romano Prodi affirmed that Japan will be one of the main beneficiaries of EU enlargement. Speaking of the foresight of Japanese businesses that had invested in Eastern Europe, the president of the Commission invited Japan to continue investing in the enlarged Europe (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.12, and that of 19 June, p.14). Mr Prodi also urged Japan to cooperate more closely with the EU especially on trade issues (see above). He said: "We must create a multilateral strategic institutional framework to act on the Asian market. It is not a question of choosing between China or Japan - but of working together".
In Tokyo, Romano Prodi also inaugurated the first European University Institute in Japan which, he said, was a noteworthy contribution to developing "mutual knowledge"