Press Releases
Third Round of Negotiations on a Japan EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA)
1. The third round of negotiations on a Japan-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) was held in Tokyo from October 9 to 11.
2. The meeting was attended by, on the Japanese side, Mr. Koichi Hasegawa, Deputy Director General of the European Affairs Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (Chief Negotiator) and representatives from other relevant ministries, and on the EU side, Mr. Viorel Isticioaia Budura, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific, the European External Action Service (Chief Negotiator), and other representatives from the European External Action Service and European Commission.
3. At the meeting, the two sides advanced discussions on the overall contents of the SPA sector by sector, and deepened their understanding on each other’s positions.
4. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in Brussels next January.
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