Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-05-09-Speech-1-167-000"
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"en.20110509.21.1-167-000"2
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"Madam President, an EU-Japan free trade agreement clearly has the potential to create significant numbers of European jobs and to benefit European companies, and the reason for that is that EU penetration of the Japanese market is currently extremely modest by comparison with EU exports elsewhere.
In fact, according to the OECD, our market penetration in Japan is amongst the lowest, and the reason for this has been indicated by my colleagues. The problem is not high tariff barriers – the tariff barriers are relatively low – but rather non-tariff barriers, including regulatory complications, issues in relation to mutual recognition, poor access to public contracts, and so on.
The million dollar question for both the Commission and this Parliament is whether to insist that Japan continues to make progress in tackling these non-tariff barriers before we open negotiations, or to open negotiations in the hope that, by doing so, we will encourage Japan to reduce its non-tariff barriers. There is no easy answer to that question.
However, I think the omens are good that Japan does want to tackle non-tariff barriers. The Japanese Prime Minister has called for an ‘open Japan’ policy, and that is partly because he recognises that Japanese industry is stultifying in its present environment. It is also, of course, partly because of the anticipated impact of the South Korean free trade agreement on Japanese exports, but I think that, in addition, it reflects recognition of Japan’s limited experience with opening up.
European companies have had improved access to telecommunications, car manufacturing, retail and the insurance sector in Japan, and that has not damaged the Japanese economy but has, in fact, encouraged innovation and development in Japan. So I think the omens are good.
On balance, my group takes the view that we still need Japan to show a little more willingness before we announce the opening of free trade negotiations. We are not against an FTA but we think that Japan needs to do a little bit more to prove that the Japanese Prime Minister can deliver on his words."@en1
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