DIGITALEUROPE calls on European Parliament to endorse EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

DIGITALEUROPE has been an active supporter of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) since its inception. We urge the European Parliament to adopt this high-standard agreement with no delay and no additional amendments during the plenary session on 12 December in order to allow for a rapid ratification and entry into force of the EPA on 1 February 2019.

“The EU-Japan EPA is an important building block in the EU-Japan relations and a historic milestone in international trade. It will contribute to advancing the economic and societal agendas of Japan and the EU. It will lead to new commercial opportunities by creating a trade zone of 600 million people covering a third of global GDP”, commented Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE.

“Next to liberalising up to 99% of bilateral trade, the agreement will reinforce economic predictability, which is a valuable advantage now that rules-based trade is being challenged at global level. Moreover, we hope for a speedy finalisation of the adoption procedure for the adequacy decision”, she added.

To echo the importance of the strategic collaboration between the EU and Japan, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl represented DIGITALEUROPE at the 8th ICT Strategies Workshop in Vienna on 4th December which bore witness to the alignment of values and vision between both partners, paving the way for a continuous and strengthened cooperation on key digital policy areas as well as joint leadership at international level.

At the meeting, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl recalled that both partners were in a unique position to advance collaboration on data protection and cross-border data flows. She emphasised the importance to lead together on AI and IoT, to align technical standards and enhance regulatory cooperation as well as developing common R&D projects.

After its adoption, DIGITALEUROPE is hopeful that the EPA will deliver on its promises, ensuring predictability and preventing unnecessary red tape to allow business to reap the benefits of this agreement.