Tokyo, july 17(UNI)Japan and the EU on Tuesday signed an unprecedented free trade agreement, sending a “clear message” against protectionism.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here on Tuesday to sign the EPA at the 25th EU-Japan Summit.
According to the European Commission, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is the largest trade deal ever negotiated by the EU and will creat a trade zone covering 600 million people and nearly a third of global gross domestic product.
Japanese Trade Ministe Hiroshige Seko told reporters that the deal has strategic significance amid the spread of protectionism, in an apparent reference to the policies of the US Trump administration.
He said the deal will demonstrate to the world the unwavering political will of Japan and the EU to firml advance free trade.
Source: www.uniindia.com
