Mega-regionals and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

Mega-regionals and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement PDF Author: Tatiana Kakara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The turn of the European Union (EU) towards the conclusion of mega-regional free trade agreements (FTAs) in the past decade signified the beginning of an ambitious trade policy. Although initially marked by limited success and civil society opposition in certain cases, some of the EU’s mega-regional projects have borne fruits. A recent example of such a comprehensive agreement is the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Drawing on historical institutionalism, this paper aims to explain why the EU negotiates mega-regional FTAs, to illustrate these motivations through a case study of the EU-Japan EPA, and to examine likely implications of EU mega-regionals for the partners to the agreements, third countries and the multilateral trading system. The paper argues that the stalemate of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which triggered the 2006 Global Europe Strategy, constitutes a critical juncture that opened the path towards mega-regional agreements. Furthermore, the EU’s long-standing practice of promoting rules and values in its trade relations, as well as the more recent path created by the ‘template’ of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA), contribute to the motivations of the EU to conclude mega-regionals. In the case of the EU-Japan EPA, agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and CETA acted as critical junctures. Power asymmetries and bargaining help explain how the EU and Japan succeeded in negotiating a comprehensive EPA, including some pioneering elements such as climate change and corporate governance. Among the likely implications of EU mega-regionals are positive feedback effects, such as economic growth for the partners to the mega-regionals, domino effects inducing non-members of mega-regionals to join the bloc, as well as the (unintended) consequences of mega-regionals for the multilateral trading system.

Mega-regionals and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

Mega-regionals and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement PDF Author: Tatiana Kakara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Get Book Here

Book Description
The turn of the European Union (EU) towards the conclusion of mega-regional free trade agreements (FTAs) in the past decade signified the beginning of an ambitious trade policy. Although initially marked by limited success and civil society opposition in certain cases, some of the EU’s mega-regional projects have borne fruits. A recent example of such a comprehensive agreement is the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Drawing on historical institutionalism, this paper aims to explain why the EU negotiates mega-regional FTAs, to illustrate these motivations through a case study of the EU-Japan EPA, and to examine likely implications of EU mega-regionals for the partners to the agreements, third countries and the multilateral trading system. The paper argues that the stalemate of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which triggered the 2006 Global Europe Strategy, constitutes a critical juncture that opened the path towards mega-regional agreements. Furthermore, the EU’s long-standing practice of promoting rules and values in its trade relations, as well as the more recent path created by the ‘template’ of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA), contribute to the motivations of the EU to conclude mega-regionals. In the case of the EU-Japan EPA, agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and CETA acted as critical junctures. Power asymmetries and bargaining help explain how the EU and Japan succeeded in negotiating a comprehensive EPA, including some pioneering elements such as climate change and corporate governance. Among the likely implications of EU mega-regionals are positive feedback effects, such as economic growth for the partners to the mega-regionals, domino effects inducing non-members of mega-regionals to join the bloc, as well as the (unintended) consequences of mega-regionals for the multilateral trading system.

Who's Afraid of Mega-regionals ? EU Trade Policy Reorientations and the Role of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

Who's Afraid of Mega-regionals ? EU Trade Policy Reorientations and the Role of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement PDF Author: Tatiana Kakara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description


Japan, the European Union and Global Governance

Japan, the European Union and Global Governance PDF Author: Eiji Ogawa
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788114469
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
This timely book explores the relationship between Japan and the European Union as they work increasingly closely together in many areas of global governance. It discusses the most salient areas of such cooperation from a range of perspectives, while examining not just convergences but also differences, in light of the recent EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement and Strategic Partnership Agreement.

Mainstreaming Sustainable Development in Regional Trade Agreements

Mainstreaming Sustainable Development in Regional Trade Agreements PDF Author: Louise Malingrey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In this paper, we review the sustainable development content of regional trade agreements (RTAs) globally using a new ESCAP RTA Text Analysis tool, followed by a comparative analysis of sustainable development related provisions in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and two other recent "mega" regional trade agreements (RTAs), namely the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the European Union - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EU - Japan EPA). The EU-Japan EPA and the CPTPP follow different approaches as they have been drafted under the influence of the EU and the United States, respectively, while the RCEP was driven from within Asia-Pacific. The analysis covers seven sustainable development-related topics: (1) sustainable development as a concept, (2) labour rights and standards, (3) environment (4) human rights, (5) small and medium-sized enterprises, (6) gender, and (7) health. The global review of RTA texts confirms the increasing reference to sustainable development and related areas in RTAs signed over the past decade. The comparative analysis of the three mega-RTAs in turn confirms the large gaps of RCEP in terms of sustainable development coverage. However, it also points to specific and practical ways through which RCEP could address these gaps in time to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - also drawing upon the interest expressed by many RCEP countries in joining CPTPP. A two-step path forward and different options for integrating sustainable development in RCEP are proposed, based on existing provisions and the differing approaches of the CPTPP and the EU-Japan EPA. We hope this paper will provide useful guidance to RCEP members for enhancing the sustainable development content of the agreement in time for its upcoming five-year review.

Mega-Regional Trade Agreements

Mega-Regional Trade Agreements PDF Author: Thilo Rensmann
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319566636
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 377

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Book Description
This book provides an in-depth analysis of "Mega-Regionals", the new generation of trans-regional free-trade agreements (FTAs) currently under negotiation, and their effect on the future of international economic law. The main focus centres on the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but the findings are also applicable to similar agreements under negotiation, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).The specific features of Mega-Regional Trade Agreements raise a number of issues with respect to their potential effect on the current system of international trade and investment law. These include the consequences of Mega-Regionals for the most-favoured-nation (MFN) principle, their relation to the multilateral system of the World Trade Organization (WTO), their democratic legitimacy and their interaction with existing bilateral investment treaties (BITs).The book is intended for academics and practitioners working in the field of international economic law.

EU–Japan Relations and the Crisis of Multilateralism

EU–Japan Relations and the Crisis of Multilateralism PDF Author: Julie Gilson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000769569
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
Presenting the history of relations between the European Union and Japan, this book explains the origins and significance of the momentous 2018 Economic Partnership Agreement and its parallel Strategic Partnership Agreement. Set within the historical context of the 1991 Hague Declaration and Action Plan of 2001, this book analyses the impact of recent background changes to the liberal trading order, the proliferation of free trade agreements, and uncertainty about role of the United States in the world on relations between Japan and the EU. Adopting a path-dependent approach, it illustrates how these agreements were reached as a result of growing patterns of cooperative behaviour between the EU and Japan, and the imprint of shared past experiences in areas from trade to security. In so doing, this book also raises important questions about the future of multilateral cooperation, exploring the potential for bilateral agreements to undermine the possibility of finding international solutions to increasingly international problems. EU–Japan Relations and the Crisis of Multilateralism will appeal to students and scholars of European and Japanese politics and international relations, as well as policymakers internationally with an interest in these significant agreements.

The EU - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

The EU - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement PDF Author: Sonali Chowdhry
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789284638802
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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Book Description
This report independently assesses the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. We find that the EPA establishes an ambitious framework to further liberalise and better organise trade, covering goods, services, intellectual property and investment, tariff- and non-tariff measures, and regulatory cooperation. Given its depth and breadth, and that it is unprecedented in including provisions on corporate governance, SMEs, and climate change, the EPA is set to become a benchmark for future trade agreements. Joining two open economies with high income levels and regulatory standards, the agreement is expected to generate benefits by boosting trade within sectors, minimising sectoral relocation and negative employment effects. Agri-food, textiles and leather products are where the EU can expect to make the greatest gains. Furthermore, the EPA will boost the EU’s economic presence and political relevance in the Asia-Pacific area. Going beyond its economic benefits, the agreement also has significant non-economic implications. Reinforced cooperation will enhance the ability of both parties to shape the course of global developments in a manner that better reflects their shared interests and values, such as their commitment to a rule-based global trade system and the fight against global warming.

The EU–Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China

The EU–Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China PDF Author: Axel Berkofsky
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135117214X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Both the European Union and Japan have been major beneficiaries and supporters of the liberal international order, first led by the United States since the end of World War II. During this period, they have emerged as global powers, however, the very order that nurtured their rise is now facing twin threats. First, through authoritarian China’s promotion of alternative models of global governance, and second from a crisis of liberalism, manifested in the policies of President Donald Trump and Brexit. This book explores these challenges faced by both the EU and Japan, providing a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between the two. It analyses their cooperation in terms of security, defence and trade and examines how their shared normative values are ultimately implemented. Having recently concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement and with a Strategic Partnership Agreement in the pipeline, this book asks whether they can convert their latent and modest cooperation into an alternative form of leadership and an antidote to the illiberal tide sweeping the developed world? As the first book to shed light on the new Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan, this book will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese Studies, as well as European Union politics and international political economy more generally.

Developing EU–Japan Relations in a Changing Regional Context

Developing EU–Japan Relations in a Changing Regional Context PDF Author: Dimitri Vanoverbeke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351664948
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Relations between the EU and East Asia have consistently expanded in recent years, particularly between the EU and Japan. Against the background of negotiations on an economic and strategic partnership agreement, the EU–Japan relationship is set to become the single most comprehensive ‘region-to-state’ relationship the world has known today, accounting for more than a third of world GDP and a combined population of more than 600 million people. This book addresses the potential role of the EU, in cooperation with Japan, to craft a stable and prosperous mode of governance in the Asian region. In today’s globalized world seemingly defined by waxing Chinese power and waning American power, the book reflects the lack of appreciation for an EU-Japan concert in maintaining and developing multilateral principles. It aims towards fortifying this relationship by acknowledging that in order to enhance the credibility and capabilities of such an alliance, it is necessary to take stock of where the partnership stands today, what kind of obstacles still need to be overcome and which options have been left untouched. By introducing state-of-the-art empirical research in multiple fields, this book will be of key interest to students and scholars of international relations, comparative regionalism, the European Union and Japanese politics.

Mega Regionals and the Developing Countries

Mega Regionals and the Developing Countries PDF Author: Dan Ciuriak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
Since the stalling of the Doha Round - which was designed to be development friendly - the world is awash in mega regionals. Major negotiations currently underway include the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a negotiation that subsumes the China-Japan-Korea (CJK) negotiation, a mega regional in its own right, as well as the ASEAN Economic Community which is slated to come into force in 2016 and might be considered something of a mega regional as well. In addition, a number of other FTAs involving the world's 10 largest economies (including bilaterals among various combinations of the United States, the EU, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and Australia) have recently been concluded or are engaged. How development-friendly is the current framework for trade and investment liberalization? This paper evaluates a number of features of the mega regionals that bear on this question: preference creation for trade in goods and services, regulatory competition/cooperation, rules of origin, preferential investment liberalization, intellectual property rights, disciplines on state-owned corporations, and financial sector regulation/exchange rate disciplines. The general conclusions are that (a) overall, the mega regionals are likely to impose costs on developing countries and the Doha Round would be a better deal for developing countries; (b) liberalizing rules of origin and investment liberalization serve to mitigate the general negative effects of mega regionals on developing countries; and (c) even if the mega regionals do not succeed (a distinct possibility in view of past failures such as the FTAA and FTAAP), the work on identifying paths forward may still be valuable in contributing to a conclusion of the Doha Round when a sufficient gestation period for that agreement has passed.