EU and Japan should build on strong partnership and strengthen cooperation

On 4 May, BusinessEurope sent a letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sharing its priorities ahead of the EU-Japan Summit. The letter highlights the strong partnership between the EU and Japan with the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as the bedrock of the economic relationship. Japan has demonstrated to be a like-minded partner on many issues and a strong ally of the EU. The EU should build on the strong partnership with Japan and develop further cooperation with a particular focus on several areas: data flows and the Digital Partnership Agreement, by agreeing on cross border data flows’ provisions; the green transition, especially by strengthening bilateral regulatory cooperation on green goods and promoting those standards globally; the World Trade Organization, focusing on trilateral discussions with the US,  and healthcare, continuing the cooperation to strengthen the health care systems, while driving pharmaceutical innovation. At the same time, the letter also points to certain market access issues that still exist, such as public procurement, which should be resolved under the EPA.

Source: BusinessEurope