EU-Japan BRT Covid-19 Position Paper

The EU-Japan BRT has issued a Position Paper on the health, economic and other challenges posed by coronavirus.

The EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) is a forum for senior executives from 55 Japanese and European companies and business organisations, led by Masaki Sakuyama (Chairman, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation) and Philippe Wahl (Chairman and CEO, Le Groupe La Poste).

On 19 May, the BRT issued a Position Paper on the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The first part of the Position Paper focussed on the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on health, society and our economies. As well as listing some of the challenges the EU and Japan are currently experiencing, the BRT welcomed measures taken by the EU and Japanese Authorities and gave examples of areas in which it believes EU-Japan cooperation and leadership could have an important impact. In the second part of the Position Paper, the BRT made some specific recommendations aimed at mitigating some of the medical and economic aspects of the current crisis.
The Position Paper emphasised the importance of the EU and Japanese public and private sectors acting together and coordinating policies and response by industry. The final part of the Position Paper identified a range of issues that the BRT believes will remain important trends and opportunities for Japan and the EU, namely the EU-Japan EPA, digital economy, ensuring a green and sustainable recovery and EU-Japan connectivity (cooperation in third countries).

English and Japanese versions of this BRT Position Paper are available on the BRT website.