Klimaatverandering en economische crisis belangrijke onderwerpen tijdens EU-Japan top (en)

Summit talks between the European Union (EU) and Japan will be held in Prague on 4 May 2009. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso i will together with Czech President Václav Klaus i represent the EU. They will be joined by the Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner i, and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana i. Prime Minister Taro Aso will represent Japan. The main focus will be strengthening cooperation on key global challenges such as climate change and the financial and economic crisis. The summit leaders will also review progress on bilateral issues since the last EU-Japan, in areas such as science and technology, aviation, financial services, judicial cooperation and development policy cooperation. As regards the EU-Japan relationship, preparations will begin for the launch at next year's summit of talks on a new framework to replace the 2001 EU-Japan Action Plan.

Prior to the summit President Barroso said: ”As two key global players, Japan and the EU have a shared responsibility to show leadership on key global challenges. Restoring growth and reforming global financial markets and international institutions is a shared priority. Another is climate change and the current crisis must not be a brake to commit to ambitious goals for the post-Kyoto period.”

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner stated: “The EU and Japan are close and like-minded partners on the international scene. We are working together to promote peace, stability and human rights in many parts of the world and Japan has made welcome contributions to stability with its efforts in the Western Balkans, Southern Caucasus and the Middle East and most recently by hosting the International Donor conference for Pakistan.. I also warmly welcome the decision to prepare for the launch at next year's summit of talks on a new framework for future relations, building on the achievements of the 2001 EU-Japan Action Plan.”

Background:

This is the 18^th annual EU-Japan summit. Apart from the above mentioned subjects the Summit leaders will also seek to give impetus to the WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations and other regional issues on the agenda include the response to North Korea’s satellite launch; the fighting in northern Sri Lanka; international support for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and dealing with piracy off Somalia. They will also discuss the EU-Japan economic relationship, including how to use existing dialogue mechanisms more effectively to address regulatory issues and to facilitate balanced two-way Foreign Direct Investment flows.

Japan was identified as a strategic partner of the EU in the European Security Strategy of 2003. Bilateral relations are based on the 2001 Joint Action Plan which sets out four main objectives for cooperation: promoting peace and security, cooperating for greater prosperity, assuming global responsibility and the bringing together of people and cultures. Apart from summit meetings, regular dialogue takes place on a host of issues at ministerial and senior-officials level.

Japan is the world’s second-largest national economy. In 2007, Japan was the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner (and its third-largest outside the European continent, after the US and China). Total bilateral trade in goods amounted to € 121.9 billion in 2007, with total EU exports to Japan worth €43.8 billion. Two-way stocks of EU-Japan Foreign Direct Investment amounted to €174.8 billion in 2006.

Further information:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/japan/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/issues/bilateral/countries/japan/index_en.htm