EU edges towards bilateral trade agreement with Japan
The EU has concluded talks exploring the possibility of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Japan.
EU trade body FoodDrinkEurope (FDE) said the talks were an, “important step forward towards the official launch of negotiations with Japan.”
Europe’s food and drink exports to Japan amount to €3.7bn (US$4.59bn) representing 5% of all exports outside the EU.
“For the EU food and drink industry, a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement is an optimal solution to bring the bilateral trade relations to their full potential,” FDE said.
“FoodDrinkEurope trusts that EU Member States will make a proper assessment of the opportunities a comprehensive Agreement could provide for Europe’s largest manufacturing sector and that the Council of Ministers will grant a negotiating mandate to the European Commission without any unnecessary delay,” it said.
