Press release - DIGITALEUROPE applauds the EU and Japan for the most ambitious bilateral trade agreement to date

DIGITALEUROPE, the leading association representing the digital technology industry, warmly welcomes the finalisation of the negotiations of the most ambitious bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to date, and congratulates both parties for this significant achievement. The deal being reached by the European Union (EU) and Japan will set new global standards for bilateral trade agreements, while enabling businesses from both sides to operate in a stable and prosperous environment and offering more and better choices to consumers.

“We are grateful to the Japanese government and to the European Commission for their continuing efforts in improving the global business environment, as the agreement is meant to trigger a longterm GDP increase for the EU estimated to +0.76% and an increase of exports by +34% for the EU” said Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE.

“The EU exports circa €28 billion of services to Japan each year and, for the EU and its Member States, the agreement will remove most of the duties paid by EU companies, which amounts to circa €1 billion annually, to access the Japanese market” she added.

DIGITALEUROPE has been an active supporter of the EU-Japan free trade agreement since its inception, as Japan and the EU have a long history of strategic and commercial collaboration. We believe that the signature of this agreement will reinforce this relationship and offer a whole new range of commercial opportunities for European and Japanese consumers as well as companies.

DIGITALEUROPE is, however, disappointed that the agreement misses the point that both the European and Japanese economies can prosper from the benefits associated with the inclusion of free flow of data provisions into the final text, built on strong data protection.

DIGITALEUROPE remains committed to work closely with its Japanese counterpart and with all policy-makers involved to materialise the benefits of the EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement. In this respect, we call on the European Parliament and on national governments to ensure that the agreement will be approved and implemented in a timely manner.