EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?

Back in 2001: Tokyo and Brussels had big and very ambitious(on paper) plans as regards international economic, political andsecurity co-operation when adopting the so-called ‘EU-Japan
Action Plan for Co-operation’ back in 2001
Action Plan running out shortly- a lot of plans and declarations
but fairly little implementation
The 2001 ‘EU-Japan Action Plan’ lists more than 100 areas ofbilateral co-operation-lack of focus

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
What’s the problem?
Lack of Political Will in Brussels and Japan to ‘do more’?
Absence of urgency to ‘do more’ in areas of international
politics and security
A lot of signatures under protocols and declarations but little
joint policies
Focus in Brussels on China over last years‘Diversification’ of Japanese Foreign and Security Policies has
not taken place

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
What’s the Problem?
2001 EU-Japan Action Plan: typical EU Commission ‘product’:a ‘shopping list’ listing for too many areas and issues to be
tackled by Brussels and Tokyo
EU Commission versus EU Member States policies towards
JapanFocus on ‘ceremony’ (annual EU-Japan Summits) and joint
declarations as opposed to joint action
Information deficit on EU side-EU Commission vulnerable tocriticism that nothing is ‘going on’ (when reality is different)
But: More than meets the eye…

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
What has been done and Achieved?
SecurityBrussels and Tokyo have over the last ten years establisheda framework for regular consultations and meetings onissues of common interest, including regular consultations
ahead of the annual session of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva
EU and Japan are jointly supporting international initiatives
to achieve global nuclear disarmament and efforts to limit
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-More than Meets the Eye?
Security/Non-Proliferation
Adopting of Declaration on Disarmament and Non-proliferationin 2004 supporting (on paper) acceleration of the UN ActionPlan on small arms and light weapons
Implementation of co-ordinated parallel projects on small arms
and light weapons in Cambodia.
Conducting close consultations on Disarmament and Nonproliferation issues in the Japan-EU Troika Working Group.
Co-operating on preparing and following up the Conference onFacilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2003, 2005, 2007

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
Cooperation the International Code of Conduct against
Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC)
Established biannual meetings of the Japan-EU Troika
Working Group on Human Rights (2003).
Co-sponsorship of North Korea human rights resolutions

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
Conducted a joint seminar on ”The EU-Japan Meeting on
Human Security" in the Western Balkans, May 2008
Co-chaired the Ministerial Conference on Peace Consolidationand Economic Development of the West Balkans in Tokyo(April 2004)
Co-operated on reconstruction and rehabilitation inSoutheast Europe by supporting ten projects through theUnited Nations Human Security Trust FundLaunched the Strategic Dialogue on Central Asia with 5
meetings from 2006 to 2008

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
Security
Since September 2005: EU-Japan Strategic Dialogue on East
Asian Security
Held Japan-EU Meetings on Counter-Terrorism (October 2004 inBrussels and October 2005 in Tokyo).
・ Had a close cooperation through G8 Roma/Lyon Group
meetings where experts discuss counter-terrorism andorganized crimeProf. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
Economics
Launched High-Level Trade Dialogue (2007) and pursued theJapan-EU Industrial Policy Dialogue
EU-Japan Dialogue on Intellectual Property Rights (2006, 2007and 2008)
Japan-EU Policy Dialogue on the International Patent Agenda(November 2005
Adopted the Japan-EU Action Plan on IPR Protection andEnforcement in June 2007
2007: Launched regular Energy Policy Dialogue to discuss issuesof common concern and respective energy strategies as well as
to exchange best practice and cooperate on attaining commonobjectives
Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
NEW ACTION PLAN
New EU-Japan Action Plan : Report on what you do to makeitself less vulnerable to accusations that very little is being done
Areas for EU-Japan cooperation: Climate change (Hatoyamaannouncement), development aid, humanitarian aid and othersoft power policies in Asia and beyond (North Korea e.g.)
New Action Plan: far fewer areas and issues jointly to betackled: development aid policies, anti-poverty policies, climatechange and environmental policies

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy

EU-Japan Relations-Not Much or More than Meets the Eye?
What Could/Should be Done
Security: ‘Soft Security’ and are areas where Japan and the EU
could actually made a difference (as opposed to discussing North
Korea’s nuclear program‘Soft Security’/’Alternative Security’: Development aid, technicalassistance, economic and financial aid
Developing ‘truly’ European-Japanese initiatives with an exclusive
focus on soft security

Prof. Axel Berkofsky, University ofPavia, Italy