At a leaders' summit yesterday, the European Union and Japan announced the launch of a Competitive Alliance to boost cooperation on trade, economic security, and innovation and the twin transitions.
President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council, António Costa met Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo for the 30th EU-Japan Summit. Japan is a close strategic partner for the EU, and in times of fast world change, this partnership becomes more crucial than ever.
Together, the EU and Japan gather more than 650 million people and over a fifth of the world's GDP, giving them important clout to shape together the global rules on trade and tech based to their common values.
The Competitive Alliance announced by the leaders will open a new phase of cooperation and will rest on three pillars.
Concerning trade, it will build on the Economic Partnership Agreement which has already boosted bilateral trade by 20%. The EU and Japan will work to fully implement the agreement, promote bilateral investment, and simplify rules for businesses.
The Alliance will also focus on common economic security, especially by reinforcing supply chains for raw materials and increasing cooperation in cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure.
Finally, the Competitive Alliance will work on innovation and on the green and digital transitions. As President von der Leyen said during a press conference: "Under our Green Alliance, we are launching new cooperation on the circular economy, emission trading systems and clean technologies. On digital, we are establishing, among others, a Working Group on Submarine Cable Connectivity including in the Arctic. This is a concrete move toward more secure and trusted data flows between our economies."
Furthermore, the EU and Japan aim to complete negotiations on the latter's association to Horizon Europe this year and the EU will step up cooperation with countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, of which Japan is a founding member, to promote open and rules-based trade in the world.
The leaders also discussed security and defence. They restated their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression and reiterated that European and Indo-Pacific security are interconnected.
Building on their Security and Defence Partnership, the EU and Japan will launch next year a joint Defence Industrial Dialogue to cooperate at defence industry level.
President von der Leyen summarised the common endeavour saying: "On the one hand geoeconomics, with growing trade tensions and uncertainty, fragile supply chains, the challenge of overcapacity and unlevel playing fields. And on the other hand geopolitics, with rising threats to our shared stability and interests. From the battlefields of Ukraine to the waters of the Indo-Pacific. Today was about providing common answers and acting together."
During the visit, the President was also granted a doctorate honoris causa at Keio University for her contribution to politics, public health, and international relations. She also attended the World Expo Osaka, where she visited the EU, Japan, and the Ukraine pavilions.
