Japan, EU to kick off first round of trade talks on April 15
dpa 09.04.2013
Japan, EU to kick off first round of trade talks on April 15
By our dpa-correspondent and Europe Online
Tokyo (dpa) — Japan and the European Union are scheduled to hold a first round of trade negotiations in Brussels on April 15-19, following an agreement between the two sides in late March, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Japanese and EU officials are expected to discuss the scope and procedure of negotiations during the five-day meeting, it said.
Japan and the EU agreed in late March to start formal talks on a free-trade accord which would cover markets accounting for 30 per cent of the global economy.
The EU remained Japan‘s third-biggest trading partner in 2012, making up 9.8 per cent of the country‘s total trade, the Japanese Finance Ministry said.
The two sides are also scheduled to meet in Tokyo from April 19 to 22 on a possible agreement covering political and other cooperation, the Foreign Ministry said. dpa tk tlo Author: Takehiko Kambayashi
