Here is the the official press release from EU and Japan meeting. They are
setting clear goals and timelines for the launching investment negotiations
in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Included is also some additional news
stories on the meeting between Japan and the EU.
As many of you know, the WTO Ministerial Meeting will be held in the US in
December of '99. Several countries are pushing for a move of the MAI to the
WTO, and want to see this happen in this upcoming year. The MAI Agenda is
obviously not dead! . To learn more about the WTO, check out the website of
Third World Network at http://www.twnside.org.sg/ or at Public Citizen's
Global Trade Watch's homepage www.tradewatch.org
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http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/9
9/6|0|RAPID&lg=EN
Joint Press Release: Meeting between Sir Leon Brittan and MITI Minister
Kaoru Yosano
DN: IP/99/6 Date: 1999-01-07
TXT: FR EN
PDF: FR EN
Word Processed: FR EN
IP/99/6
Brussels, 7 January 1999
Joint Press Release: Meeting between Sir Leon Brittan and MITI Minister
Kaoru Yosano
Sir Leon Brittan, Vice-President of the European Commission and Mr. Kaoru
Yosano, Minister of International Trade and
Industry of Japan, met in Brussels on 7 January 1999. Their discussions
resulted in the following general conclusions.
1. Global economy
Vice-President Brittan and Minister Yosano recognised the joint
responsibility of the EU and Japan, as two of the major
economies in the world, to ensure global economic stability and to
strengthen growth. They welcomed the launch of the euro
on 1 January 1999 noting that the support of the currency by sound
macroeconomic and structural policies will create stability
and ensure that the euro will be beneficial for international trade and
financial markets.
They shared the view that the restoration of confidence is a prerequisite
for durable domestic demand-led growth in Japan
which is an essential element in supporting global economic growth. They
also shared the view that the implementation of the
recent economic and financial measures adopted by the Japanese government
will contribute to economic recovery in Japan.
2. Multilateral issues
Both sides welcomed the consultation process launched between the Commission
and the Japanese government to achieve,
whenever possible, common positions and strategies with a view to preparing
the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference and the
subsequent multilateral trade negotiations. They looked forward to build
upon the positive preparatory work already
undertaken by the Commission and the Japanese government in December 1998 in
Tokyo.
They reiterated that strengthening the multilateral trading system and
taking a new decisive step in the process of multilateral
trade liberalisation would stimulate the world economy and facilitate the
restoration of confidence and stability. Both sides
underlined their strong support for comprehensive trade negotiations to be
launched at the WTO Ministerial to be held in late
1999. These negotiations, which are scheduled to start in the year 2000,
could include, in addition to agriculture and services,
a comprehensive approach to the liberalisation of industrial tariffs, the
development of WTO rules in new areas under the
Singapore Work Programme and other issues relating to existing WTO rules.
They stressed the importance of the work being
undertaken in the WTO on investment and competition.
They welcomed the large degree of commonality in their position on
investment, and underline the importance of further
coordinating their position on competition. Both sides shared the objective
that negotiations should be based on the principle of
a single undertaking to be completed within a time frame of approximately
three years. They stressed that comprehensive
negotiations are essential to ensure that the interests of all WTO members
are reflected in a balanced manner.
They affirmed the importance of the Quadrilateral Trade Ministers' Meeting
in spring this year to give further political
momentum to the preparatory process for the next WTO comprehensive trade
negotiations. They emphasised the importance
of the active participation by developing countries in the forthcoming
negotiations. In addition, they will work together with
other Asian partners through ASEM in order to gather support for such
negotiations and, in this context, highlighted the
significance of the forthcoming ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting later this
year.
They emphasised that, at a time of instability in the world economy, it was
essential for all countries to maintain open markets,
resist protectionist pressures and develop the momentum for comprehensive
negotiations for further liberalisation by building on
current levels of market access, undertaking regulatory and structural
reforms and providing a receptive climate for investment.
They agreed that the full respect of multilateral rules is essential to
maintain the credibility of the WTO and that unilateral action
in conflict with such rules must be avoided.
3. Bilateral and other issues
(i) Trade and investment relations
They reviewed trade and investment relations between the EU and Japan
including the growth in Japan's external surpluses.
They shared the view that sound macroeconomic policies will promote a
favourable climate for two-way trade and investment
between the EU and Japan.
(ii) Deregulation
They emphasised the continuing vital role that structural reform and
deregulation measures play in stimulating their economies
and improving market access for business. They welcomed the productive
two-way dialogue established between the EU and
Japan which enables each side to take into account each other's suggestions
when identifying deregulation measures.
(iii) Business dialogue
They welcomed the positive steps being taken by their respective business
communities to identify key issues of common
interest with a view to providing more effective input into EU-Japan
relations by enlarging and enhancing the business dialogue
so as to improve the climate of bilateral trade and investment between the
EU and Japan as well as multilaterally.
(iv) MRA
They emphasised the importance they attach to rapidly reaching an EU-Japan
Mutual Recognition Agreement on testing and
certification and confirmed their intent to make additional efforts to
achieve this objective.
(v) Other issues
They reviewed other trade issues, notably trade in automobiles and leather.
They discussed the current turbulence on
international steel markets and emphasised the need for all parties to act
responsibly in accordance with international trade
rules and to resist protectionist pressures.
*********************
PRESS STORIES:
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Jiji Press Ticker Service
January 05, 1999, Tuesday
LENGTH: 318 words
HEADLINE: Japan, EU Proposing Full-Fledged WTO Trade Round
DATELINE: Tokyo, Jan. 5
BODY:
Japan and the European Union will formally propose Thursday that a new
round of trade liberalization talks address all issues of common interest
rather than taking a sector-specific approach, Japanese trade officials said
Tuesday.
After holding talks in Brussels Thursday, Japanese Minister of International
Trade and Industry Kaoru Yosano and European Commission Vice President Leon
Brittan will issue a joint statement proposing the adoption of a
full-fledged global trade round to be sponsored by the World Trade
Organization, the officials said.
Yosano will start his eight-day trip to Brussels and Washington Wednesday,
with his itinerary also including a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative
Charlene Barshefsky in Washington.
The Japan-EU collaboration is designed to give birth to momentum toward
trade liberalization under their leadership ahead of a planned quadrilateral
meeting in spring among trade ministers of Japan, the United States, the EU
and Canada and the third WTO ministerial conference in the United States
from late November.
Japan and the EU hope to use the joint statement to woo Washington, a strong
advocate of a sector-selective method for the new global trade talks, to
give its nod to the Japan-EU proposal, the officials said.
The United States is sticking to its stance of giving primary weight to the
agriculture and services sectors, which have already been listed up as
agenda items in the new trade negotiations to be
launched in 2000.
The statement being issued by Yosano and Brittan will also call for
discussions on further tariff cuts for mining and manufactured products and
the establishment of a new framework of investment
rules, the officials said.
The officials also raised the possibility that the Japan-EU statement will
call for a completion of the upcoming trade talks in three years if Japan
and the EU can coordinate their views.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: January 06, 1999
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jiji Press Ticker Service
December 29, 1998, Tuesday
LENGTH: 321 words
HEADLINE: Japan to Join Force with EU on U.S. in Next WTO Trade Talks
DATELINE: Tokyo, Dec. 29
BODY:
Japan plans to join hands with the European Union in coping with the
United States in the World
Trade Organization's next round of global trade liberalization talks from
2000, Minister of
International Trade and Industry Kaoru Yosano said.
In an interview with Jiji Press, Yosano said Japan and Europe believe the
next WTO round should
be comprehensive trade talks, including liberalization of mining and
manufactured products and fixing
new global rules on investment.
The United States insists on sector-by-sector talks with weight on
agriculture, including forestry and
fisheries, and service sectors, he added.
If Japan and the EU take a common stance, the WTO talks can be brought to an
early settlement,
Yosano said. Japan has opposed liberalizing trade in forestry and fishery
products.
Asked to comment on rising expectations that Japan-U.S. trade friction may
be intensified in 1999,
Yosano said that the recent expansion of Japan's trade surplus with the
United States is due mainly to
falls in imports hit by sagging domestic demand.
In a move to boost demand, the government has launched the biggest-ever
economy-boosting
measures and is cutting income and corporate taxes, and wrote its fiscal
1999 budget to fund these
steps, he said.
If Japan's trade practices are suspected of playing any role in hindering
imports of foreign products,
then those impediments should be removed, the MITI chief added.
MITI will formulate an industrial revitalization plan for 15 areas with
strong growth potential, including
information-telecommunications as well as biotechnology, early next year,
Yosano said.
Resolving problems on the suppliers' side is important along with taking
measures to boost effective
demand, he said.
MITI will consider how redundant workers at Japanese companies can be
absorbed by other
industry sectors and how excess production facilities can be disposed of,
Yosano said.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: December 31, 1998
**********************************
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included information for research and educational purposes.
Margrete Strand Rangnes
MAI Project Coordinator
Public Citizen Global Trade Watch
215 Pennsylvania Ave, SE
Washington DC, 20003
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