Annual Meeting 2016

18th BRT Annual Meeting – Tokyo, 20 April 2016:"EU & JAPAN – TAKING STRIDES TOWARDS A COMMON SUSTAINABLE FUTURE"

The 2016 EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) Annual Meeting took place at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on 20 April 2016 with the theme of "Taking strides towards a common sustainable future". It was chaired by Messrs Kazuo Tsukuda (Senior Executive Adviser, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) and Fabrice Brégier (President & CEO, Airbus S.A.S.).

At the end of the meeting, Fabrice Brégier stepped down as Chairman of the EU-side of the BRT and was succeeded by Eric Schulz, President – Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce.

Topics discussed
As well as having high-level discussions with the EU and Japanese Authorities, the BRT Members discussed and adopted general and sectoral recommendations to the EU and Japanese Authorities and had detailed discussions on the EU-Japan FTA/EPA negotiations and regulatory cooperation; on the circular economy; and on improving the investment environment in the EU and Japan.

The meeting resolved to submit its joint recommendations to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, European Council President Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Various documents are available from the meeting

(please click on the image of the document to access it)

Annual meeting agenda

Position Statement (also known as the "Summary of Recommendations")

Press Release

Working Party Recommendations and Presentations

WP1 - Trade Relations; Investment and Regulatory Cooperation; Financial Services, Accounting and Taxation
WP2 - Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Healthcare & Well-Being
WP 3 - Innovation, Information & Communication Technologies (ICT)
WP 4 - Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development

• Press Releases in English and in Japanese relating to the formal handover of the BRT's Recommendations to PM Abe and to Commissioner Bieńkowska
• The BRT's 2016 Position Statement
• The 2017 Progress Reports from the European Commission and the Government of Japan, prepared in response to the BRT's 2016 Recommendations

From the EU-Japan FTA/EPA and Regulatory Cooperation discussion
From the Circular Economy discussion
From the Improving the investment environment in the EU and Japan discussion

• Agenda of the Meeting (a Japanese version is also available)
• List of Members (at the time of the meeting)
• The uncorrected text of the Speech given by Commissioner Bieńkowska during the formal closing dinner.

 High-level participants from the EU and Japanese Authorities

	Mr. Junji Suzuki State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
	Mr. Yoji Muto State Minister for Foreign Affairs
	Mr. Tsuneo Kitamura Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
	Mr. Yasuo Sakamoto Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs European Commission
Mr. Antti Ilmari Peltomäki Deputy Director-General Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs European Commission
Mr. Philippe Duponteil Head of the Far East Unit Directorate-General for Trade European Commission
Mr. Jonathan Hatwell Deputy Head of Delegation Delegation of the European Union to Japan

Submission of the BRT's 2016 Recommendations to the Prime Minister Abe & Commissioner Bieńkowska

On 21 April 2016, Kazuo Tsukuda (BRT Chairman, Japan side) and Fabrice Brégier (out-going BRT Chairman, EU side) led a delegation to submit the BRT's Recommendations to PM Shinzo Abe and to Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska who received them on behalf of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. For more details see the press release.

The handover was reported on the official Japanese Government website in English and in Japanese, together with a video recording and pictures from the meeting.

Fabrice Brégier formally presents the BRT's 2016 Recommendations to PM Shinzo Abe	BRT co-Chairmen Kazuo Tsukuda and Fabrice Brégier with PM Shinzo Abe and European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska
Handover photos © courtesy of Cabinet Secretariat, Cabinet Public Relations Office

Meeting between BRT Eric Schulz (EU-side Chairman of the BRT) and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström

28/09/2016 - Eric Schulz (President – Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce), the in-coming Chairman of the BRT EU-side came to Brussels for meetings with the BRT's EU-side and with representatives of the EU Authorities including EC Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.