DIGITALEUROPE welcomes the European Commission’s ambitious ratification plan for the EU-Japan trade deal

DIGITALEUROPE strongly welcomes the European Commission’s ambitious schedule for a speedy ratification of the EU-Japan bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), as outlined by Commissioner Malmström during a hearing at the European Parliament’s committee on international trade (INTA) on 23 January.

Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, DIGITALEUROPE’s Director-General, said: “DIGITALEUROPE has always been a very active supporter of the EU-Japan trade agreement. It reinforces a long history of strategic and commercial cooperation and has the potential to boost growth, jobs and access to innovative services in the EU and in Japan. We look forward for a swift implementation.”

“Having said that, we hope that the EU and Japan remain committed to working towards the successful adoption of adequacy decisions under their respective data protection rules as soon as possible this year. Cross-border data flows are an essential resource for economic growth, global competitiveness and digital innovation”, she added.

To celebrate the relationship between the two trading blocs and leverage the positive collaboration with the Japanese digital industry, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl is planning to visit Japan before the Summer. She will meet with a series of key decision-makers, counterpart associations and industry representatives.

The EPA was finalised in December 2017. The text now needs to be signed, ratified and implemented. The European Commission aims at processing the legal scrubbing and translation as fast as possible, to get it ratified by the Council in Spring and approved by the European Parliament before December. The agreement could then come into force in early 2019, just before the European Parliament recess and the end of the Juncker Commission mandate.