New strategic agreement between the EU and Japan to deepen cooperation and address global challenges
Date
19 Mar 2014
Sections
Trade & Society
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament today adopted, without a single vote against, a resolution to support the conclusion of an EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA).
"The agreement is of the utmost importance. The EU and Japan share fundamental values and opportunities to promote prosperity, global peace and stability," stated MEP Alojz Peterle, Rapporteur on the SPA for the European Parliament. "We have to remain forward looking, ambitiously oriented to a common future, and avoid getting stuck in issues of the past."
"Most importantly," Peterle concluded "the agreement defines more than 30 areas of strategic cooperation."
The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) will be a legally-binding agreement, but amongst the most important items are its political, global and sectorial issues of cooperation. The agreement will mark a turning point on an ambitious upgrade of political and economic relations between the EU and Japan. In parallel to the Strategic Partnership Agreement, an Economic Partnership Agreement is being negotiated, which may boost the EU's economy by around 1% of its GDP.
The report is expected to be adopted this mid-April in Strasbourg, at the last plenary session of the current legislature of the European Parliament.
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 274 Members from 27 Member States.
ABOUT THE EU-JAPAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (SPA)
EU-Japan relations have grown steadily since the 1991 Joint Declaration and the 2001 Action Plan, in terms of their range and level. However, both Japan and the EU decided to further enhance relations in a comprehensive manner, lifting them to a higher, more strategic and longer-term level. The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) is a comprehensive binding agreement covering political, global and sectorial issues and areas of cooperation with Japan.
The free trade aspects are covered within the Economic Partnership Agreement. Both are negotiated in parallel.
After more than two years of preparations, scoping exercises and a shared interest in expanding the horizons of collaboration, the negotiations for both agreements were formally launched on 25 March 2013.
Provisions within the agreement will create a solid base for more concrete actions as regards political dialogue, human rights, securit
MEP Contacts
Alojz PETERLE
BRU - Tel: +32 (0)2 2845638 Fax: +32 (0)2 2849638
STR - Tel: +33 (0)3 88 175638 Fax: +33 (0)3 88 179638