European and Japanese businesses urge acceleration in EU-Japan free trade negotiations

Today BusinessEurope, Keidanren, the European Business Council in Japan and the Japan Business Council in Europe sent a joint letter to President Jean-Claude Juncker, President Donald Tusk, and Premier Shinzo Abe calling for an acceleration of the EU-Japan FTA negotiations in line with the leaders’ declaration made in the margins of the G7 summit at Ise-Shima on 26 May. European and Japanese businesses underlined that the agreement should lead to commercially meaningful market access, the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, and include an ambitious chapter on procurement. It is also a unique opportunity to send a clear signal to the world that we believe in free, open and fair trade as a way of promoting sustainable economic growth and improving the living conditions of our citizens.