EU and Japan close to agreement on trade deal
Malmström said on twitter today a political agreement has been reached at a ministerial level on the trade deal and the remaining differences were ironed out.
According to the European Commission, talks of a trade deal between the EU and Japan sparked in 2013 when EU governments instructed the European Commission to start negotiations with Japan.
The EU wants a trade agreement with Japan to remove trade barriers and send a message that both economies do not support protectionism, the commission said.
Each year, the value of tariffs paid by EU exporters to Japan stands at 1 billion euros. Japan has long and costly procedures to approve each variety of fruit, the European Commission explained, which is hoped to be diminished with the trade deal.
source: americanshipper.com
