Brussels (Brussels Morning) – The European Council and Japan have adopted a Strategic Partnership Agreement, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations. It aims to enhance political and economic cooperation, uphold global governance, and tackle shared challenges.
The European Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between the European Union and its member states and Japan. European Council states that this decision will clear the track, on the EU side, for the entry into force of the arrangement as soon as the parties have finished their internal procedure and informed their counterparts.
According to the Press of the European Council, this is the foremost-ever bilateral framework agreement between the European Union and Japan.
The agreement sets out an overarching framework for improved political and sectoral cooperation, thus securing closer political and economic cooperation on a whole host of bilateral, regional and multilateral matters.
What are the key areas of bilateral cooperation?
Through the SPA, the EU and Japan are dedicated to strengthening the rules-based global order, enhancing global governance and defending joint values and principles such as the rule of law, democracy, fondness for human rights, open markets, and free and fair trade.
The agreement sets the background for increasing consultation and coordination in multilateral discussions. The parties commit to work together to support a rules-based multilateral trading system having the World Trade Organization at its core, facilitate the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate action, and the enactment of Sustainable Development Goals.
How does the SPA address security challenges?
Concerning the bilateral dimension, the arrangement will allow parties to take forward security collaboration, jointly tackle terrorism and grave international crimes and prevent the expansion of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, the SPA will improve all areas of existing sectorial cooperation, such as. space, information and transmission technologies, industrial approach, energy, transport, education, research and innovation.
Lastly, the SPA will deliver for a joint committee to harmonise the overall partnership delivering a forum to discuss all the issues covered in the contract and a dispute settlement procedure.
How did the ratification process unfold?
On 17 July 2018, the European Union and Japan signed the agreement in Tokyo. The European Parliament passed its consent on 12 December 2018, and on 5 April 2024, the ratification procedures of the deal by member states were finalised.
In parallel to the negotiations on the SPA, the EU and its nation-states extended negotiations for an economic cooperation agreement with Japan on 29 November 2012. These started in April 2013 and the contents of the first-ever bilateral framework understanding between the EU and Japan were finalised in April 2018.
