At the 17th EU-Japan Business Roundtable (BRT) on 27 and 28 April, JBCE President Hashimoto was a presenter in a session dedicated to the EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA). His presentation emphasised the mutual advantages of an ambitious FTA—including increases to investments and GDP, more cooperation on social challenges, and a predictable business environment through regulatory cooperation. He confirmed JBCE will continue to support an ambitious and timely conclusion of negotiations within this year. “We feel there is no time to lose. This FTA will unlock the potential of the EU-Japan bilateral relationship,” he concluded.

BRT participants had the chance to exchange with senior EU officials from the European Commission as well as high-level representatives from Japanese Ministries during a joint session. President Hashimoto called for a transparent process for regulatory cooperation that involves representatives of relevant industries. He also urged authorities to systematically review progress made by setting appropriate milestones against common goals and take necessary actions to ensure the long term sustainability of the common regulatory framework. To contribute to this process, President Hashimoto announced JBCE’s event on the current and future structure and challenges of EU-Japan Regulatory Cooperation in June and invited all BRT participants to attend.

As part of the BRT, JBCE released its 2015 Report. The JBCE 2015 Report encapsulates JBCE recommendations made throughout the sessions, including the establishment of a common regulatory environment to reduce business costs and spur innovation, the development of joint EU-Japan R&D programmes, the improvement of the EU Single Market, and the successful conclusion of the FTA within 2015. Interested parties can download the report below.