Annual meeting 2012

14th BRT Annual Meeting - Tokyo, 3 & 4 April 2012:

“UNLOCKING GROWTH POTENTIAL IN EU-JAPAN BUSINESS”

The EU-Japan Business Round Table took place on 3 and 4 April 2012 at Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, under the co-chairmanship of Messrs. Jean-Yves Le Gall (Chairman & CEO, Arianespace) and Hiromasa Yonekura (Chairman, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.). At the meeting, European and Japanese members of the BRT set out their recommendations. The main themes of discussion for this year’s meeting included: (1) EU-Japan FTA/EPA: Opportunities and Challenges, (2) Europe-Japan Cooperation in Energy Related Issues, and (3) Growth Strategies and Re-industrialisation of Advanced Economies.

The EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) was created in 1999 and is made up of around 50 CEOs/senior executives from leading EU and Japanese firms and meets once a year to review the factors affecting all aspects of business cooperation between the EU and Japan, and to make policy Recommendations to the European Commission and Japanese Government. The BRT Annual Meeting concludes with the submission of detailed Recommendations to the EU and Japanese Authorities on how they can promote trade, particularly focusing on recommendations for regulatory reform.

Each year, the Japanese Government and European Commission submit Progress Reports outlining how they have enacted the Recommendations submitted at the previous BRT Annual Meeting. EU Commissioners, Japanese Government Ministers and senior civil servants always attend the Round Table, to give oral reports and take part in a Q&A session.

The work of the BRT is prepared by the Round Table’s working parties. Currently there are working parties on: "Trade Relations, Investment and Regulatory Cooperation", "Life Sciences & Biotechnology; Healthcare & Well-Being", "Innovation; Information & Communication Technologies", "Financial Services; Accounting & Taxation", "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development". New ones are created in response to need.

Press Release, BRT Co-Chairman Dr. Jean-Yves Le Gall hands over the 2012 Joint Recommendations to Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, European Council President, 23 April 2012   a video recording of the Handover is available on the European Council website. English press release about the handover Japanese press release about the handover

President VAN ROMPUY (right) with Mr Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace and Co-President of the EU-Japan Business Round Table © The Council of the European Union

Press Release, BRT Co-Chairman Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura hands over the 2012 Joint Recommendations to Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan, 19 April 2012 EN JA

19 April 2012: BRT Co-Chairman Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura hands over the 2012 Joint Recommendations to Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan. © Photo and copyright： by courtesy of Cabinet Secretariat, Cabinet Public Relations Office

Various documents are available from the meeting:

• Meeting Agenda
• Press Releases in English and in Japanese
• Summary of Recommendations
• Recommendations - WP A - Trade Relations, Investment and Regulatory Cooperation
• Recommendations - WP B - Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, Healthcare and Well-being
• Recommendations - WP C - Innovation, Information & Communication Technologies
• Recommendations - WP D - Financial Services, Accounting and Tax Issues
• Recommendations - WP E - Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development
• List of Members (at the time of the meeting)

Other documents relating to the work of the BRT in 2012:

• The 2013 Progress Reports from the European Commission and the Government of Japan, prepared in response to the BRT's 2012 Recommendations

Pictures

Pictures of the EU-Japan Business Round Table meeting held in 2012 in Tokyo under the co-chairmanship of Messrs. Jean-Yves Le Gall (Chairman & CEO, Arianespace) and Hiromasa Yonekura (Representative Director and Chairman, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.).