At a meeting organised by the European Policy Centre on 26 April, BusinessEurope Senior Adviser Elena Suárez exchanged views on how the EU and Japan, as like-minded partners, can advance their own strategic agendas by reaffirming their strong commitment to the rules-based international order. For instance, the global trading system, the climate change regime, the multilateral security arrangements to deal with traditional and emerging threats, as well as the political fallout brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. She described the challenges and opportunities that EU business faces in the Indo-Pacific and in Japan in particular. Suárez highlighted the economic and strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific, as well as the importance to build closer alliances with like-minded partners and work on the diversification of supply chains for EU companies. “The EU and Japan's Economic Partnership Agreement has proven to be the bedrock of the EU-Japan economic relationship during the last three years. While this is positive, the EU should build on the strong partnership with Japan and develop further cooperation in several areas such as the green and digital agendas”, she commented. The other speakers at the event were Adeline Hinderer, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade, and Yoko Iwama, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Strategic Studies Program and the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

Source: BusinessEurope