15th BRT Annual Meeting – Paris, 29 & 30 April 2013: “OPENING A NEW CHAPTER IN EU-JAPAN RELATIONS”

The 15th annual EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) meeting took place at the French Ministry of Foreign & European Affairs on 29 & 30 April. It was co-chaired by Jean-Yves Le Gall (Chairman & CEO, Arianespace) and Hiromasa Yonekura (Chairman, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.).

At the meeting, the BRT Members (CEOs / senior executives from leading EU and Japanese firms) discussed and adopted general and sectoral recommendations to be submitted to the EU and Japanese Authorities. They held detailed discussions on the approaching negotiations on a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement/Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan; on EU-Japan cooperation including business with/in emerging economies and on resources issues. The BRT also held a joint session with senior representatives of the Japanese and EU Authorities.

Background
The EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) was established in its current form in 1999 to foster communication between the Japanese and European industries. Its members are senior executives from some 50 leading European and Japanese companies. Its main objectives are to submit recommendations to the Japanese and European Authorities so as to help develop trade and investment between the EU and Japan, and to encourage industrial cooperation in fields of common interest such as innovation, climate change, or industrial standards.

Contact Persons:

• EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (Japan), tel +81 3 6408 0281, fax 6408 0283
• EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (Europe) Mr. Simon Craig Gray, tel + 32 2 282 00 47, fax + 32 2 282 00 45, Email