日欧ＥＰＡ交渉 ＴＰＰと併せた戦略が必要だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 23, 2013
Promote EPA talks with EU along with TPP negotiations
日欧ＥＰＡ交渉　ＴＰＰと併せた戦略が必要だ（11月22日付・読売社説）

In parallel with negotiations with the United States, Australia and other countries on the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral trade framework, Japan must step up efforts to work out an economic partnership agreement with the European Union.
　米国、豪州などとの環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉と並行し、欧州連合（ＥＵ）との経済連携交渉の妥結も急がねばならない。

Japan will be urged to implement a strategy that stimulates economic growth by establishing various free trade zones.
　日本には複数の自由貿易圏作りに取り組み、成長に弾みを付ける戦略が求められよう。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Herman Van Rompuy of the European Council, who is EU president, issued a joint statement after their meeting earlier this week.
　安倍首相はファンロンパイ欧州理事会常任議長（ＥＵ大統領）と会談し、共同声明を発表した。

The statement stressed that the two sides would commit “to the earliest possible conclusion” of an economic partnership agreement, on which negotiations began in April.
　４月にスタートした日本とＥＵの経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）交渉を「可能な限り早期に締結させる」と強調したのがポイントだ。

The free trade agreement between South Korea and the EU took effect in July 2011, leaving Japan far behind South Korea in free trade talks with the EU. The EU softened its stance after Japan joined the TPP talks, which led to the launching of Japan-EU EPA talks.
　韓国とＥＵは２０１１年７月に自由貿易協定（ＦＴＡ）を発効済みで、日本は大きく出遅れていた。日本のＴＰＰ交渉参加を契機に、ＥＵの姿勢が軟化し、交渉開始にこぎつけた経緯がある。

However, Japan-EU negotiations on the matter were rocky in the past three rounds of talks. The accord by Abe and Van Rompuy to accelerate the negotiations illustrates their sense of crisis. The EU is very wary it will be left out of the huge free trade zone in Asia.
　しかし、これまで３回行われたＥＵとの交渉は難航している。両首脳が交渉加速で一致したのは危機感の表れだろう。アジアの巨大な自由貿易圏から取り残されることにＥＵの警戒感も強い。

The focal point is whether the EU will abolish 10 percent and 14 percent tariffs imposed on car and television imports from Japan.
　焦点は、日本から輸出する自動車にＥＵが１０％、テレビに１４％かけている関税の撤廃問題だ。

EU tariffs on the same South Korean products will be abolished in 2016 under the bilateral FTA after being reduced in phases. Japan has every reason to call for equal terms to prevent it from facing unfair competition.
　ＥＵ向けに輸出する韓国製品の関税は、ＦＴＡで段階的に引き下げられて１６年に撤廃される。不利な競争を強いられる日本が、対等な条件を求めるのは当然だ。

Tariff cuts at issue

The EU, for its part, has resisted the Japanese demand and instead called for lowering tariffs on wine, cheese and other products and reexamining nontariff barriers to open the market for railroad carriages and other public transport-related products.
　ＥＵはこれに抵抗し、逆に日本にワイン、チーズなどの関税引き下げのほか、鉄道車両など公共交通分野の市場開放といった非関税障壁の見直しを要求している。

It is also problematic that the EU has put forth a policy of discontinuing negotiations if it judges Japan’s improvement in its stance is insufficient one year after the start of the talks.
　交渉開始から１年後に日本の改善姿勢が不十分と判断した場合、ＥＵは交渉を打ち切る方針を示していることも問題と言える。

TPP talks are entering a critical stage as to whether an accord can be hammered out before the end of the year.
　ＴＰＰ交渉は年内妥結に向け、大詰めを迎えている。

Japan needs to test the nerves of EU members anxious about the progress of TPP talks and call for the correction of unreasonable demands, thereby seeking to find a point of compromise as early as possible.
日本はＴＰＰ進展に焦るＥＵを揺さぶって、理不尽な要求の是正を求め、早期に妥協点を探る必要がある。

With the Japan-China confrontation over the Senkaku Islands in mind, the joint statement clearly mentioned that Japan and the EU “shared the concern about current tensions, including in East Asia’s maritime areas” and called for addressing them “based on the principle of the rule of law.” This is laudable.
　尖閣諸島をめぐる日中対立を踏まえ、共同声明が「東アジア海域を含む緊張状態への懸念」を共有するとし、「法の支配」の原則に基づく解決を求めるべきだとの見解を明記した点は評価できる。

Security and issues of global interests were also discussed in the latest Japan-EU summit meeting.
　一方、今回の日ＥＵ首脳会談では、安全保障分野や地球規模の課題も論議になった。

It also represents progress that Japan and the EU agreed to launch consultative talks on the prevention of cyberterrorism and the peaceful use of space. The EU seems to aim at taking the lead in working out international rules in these fields.
　サイバーテロ防止と宇宙の平和利用に関する協議開始で合意したのも前進である。ＥＵは国際規範作りを主導する狙いのようだ。

It is essential to expand the scope of cooperation in addressing such issues as those of global interests. We hope that further strengthening of the bilateral relationship of trust will help break the stalemate in EPA negotiations.
　こうした地球規模の課題を巡って、協力の幅を広げることが重要だ。信頼関係の一層の強化が、ＥＰＡ交渉を打開するムードを醸成する効果に期待したい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 22, 2013)
（2013年11月22日01時31分  読売新聞）