Activities of Reinhard BÜTIKOFER related to 2023/2107(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU-Japan relations (A9-0373/2023 - Reinhard Bütikofer) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT on EU-Japan relations
Amendments (48)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the Japan-EU Digital Partnership agreement that was forged at the EU-Japan summit held in Tokyo on 12th May 2022,
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas in 2021, EU and Japan concluded a "Green Alliance to protect our environment, stop climate change and achieve green growth";
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
– having regard to the EU-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on semiconductors and to the Memorandum of Cooperation ton suppbmarine cables fort secure and, resilient submarine cableand sustainable global connectivity signed on 3 July 2023 in Tokyo at the first Japan-EU Digital Partnership Council meeting,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17
Citation 17
– having regard to the Administrative Arrangement between EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and Japan’s Deployment Surfafence Force for Counter-Piracy Enforcement signed on 15 March 2023,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
– having regard to the Co-Chairs’ press release of the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum held in Stockholm on 23 May 2023,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24
Citation 24
– having regard to the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, which include priorities of openness, transparency, economic efficiency and debt sustainability,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
– having regard to the G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué, including the Leaders’ statements on Ukraine, Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, Economic Resilience and Economic Security, Clean Energy Economy Action Plan, and Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 40
Citation 40
– having regard to having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 21 January 2021 on connectivity and EU-Asia relations9 , _________________ 9 OJ C 456, 10.11.2021, p. 117.
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 45
Citation 45
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU and Japan will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2024; whereas their representatives have met at the highest level for 29 summits over the decades;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Japan is the EU’s closest strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region; whereas both sides share a very broad range of values and goals; whereas global challenges and in particular growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region demand the EU’s and Japan’s ever closer partnership; whereas the EU and Japan seek common approaches at the bilateral level and in multilateral fora such as the G7, G20, the UN, the WTO, the WHO and the OECD as well as an alignment as like- minded donors;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the EU and Japan have committed to working together and with a wide range of like-minded partners to promote peace, security, the rule of law, environmental and climate responsibility, economic resilience, democratic values and human rights, and to advance the international rules-based order and multilateralism, including freedom of navigation; whereas they strive to share responsibility in international relations to foster fair and sustainable development and prosperity, address humanitarian needs, achieve human-centric digitisation and technology development, tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and enhance health security;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas Japan is an important actor in several fora and dialogue platforms in the Indo-Pacific, such as for instance the East-Asia Summit and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD);
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas the EU is the leading development cooperation partner, one of the biggest trading partners and the top investor in the Indo-Pacific region; whereas the security of Europe and that of the Indo-Pacific region are closely interlinked;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas it is of paramount importance for the EU to cooperate with Japan given the Indo-Pacific’s growing economic, demographic, and political weight and its geopolitically and geo- economically strategic position; whereas the EU and some of its Member States have been addressing Indo-Pacific issues through their Indo-Pacific strategies; whereas Japan was one of the first countries to adopt an economic security strategy and the European Commission published its communication on the European Economic Security Strategy on 20 June 2023;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the negotiations on data flows under the EPA provided that these provisions will properly protect personal data and privacy 2018 horizontal provisions on cross- border data flows and personal data protection is integrated in the text; remains confident that the reciprocal adequacy under data protection laws is maintained;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU and Japan seek peace and stability throughout the Indo- Pacific, in particular by promoting compliance by all countries with UNCLOS; whereas Japan is an important defender of the rules-based international order in the regiona rules- based international order in which all countries adhere to international law and the principle of peaceful settlement of conflicts; whereas Japan is an important defender of the rules-based international order in the region; whereas both sides oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the Taiwan Strait and have reaffirmed repeatedly that the acquisition of territory by force is prohibited; whereas both sides believe that conflicts in the South China Sea and the East China Sea should be resolved peacefully on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS, and without any party resorting to coercion against other claimants;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the launch of the EU- Japan digital partnership to advance cooperation on digital issues; welcomes, in this regard, the conclusion of the digital trade principles and the signature of the memorandum of cooperation on semiconductors;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the signature of the memorandum of cooperation on semiconductors as well as a memorandum of cooperation on hydrogen;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the EU and Japan hold regular consultations and dialogues on security- and defence-related issues, including on cybersecurity, disinformation and space, while cooperating also on nuclear non- proliferation, nuclear disarmament and crisis management; whereas EU and Japan have recently launched a strategic dialogue at the foreign ministerial level;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and Japan’s Defence Force are cooperating successfully and conduct join naval exercises in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea; whereas the EU and Japan are exploring cooperation to provide training and capacity building in the areas of maritime security and peacekeeping for partners in South-East Asia and in Africa, including through the EU CRIMARIO project;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas Japan and the EU have jointly condemned the continued defiance of relevant UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea; whereas the EU has expressed its solidarity with Japan against North Korean provocations;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU and Japan have both voiced theirdemonstrated reliable support for Ukraine and their opposicondemnation tof Russia’s brutal, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression; whereas the EU and Japan have committed to maintaining pressure on Russia including through restrictive measures and to prevent the circumvention of the restrictive measures;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Highlights that Japan is the EU’s closest partner in the Indo-Pacific region with whom the EU should enhance cooperation with Japan on economic resilience and security, including by addressing non- market practices.
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU and Japan have both committed to climate neutrality by 2050; whereas Japan is a crucial partner for the EU in implementing the Paris Agreement; whereas addressing the dual climate and biodiversity crises necessitates adequate contributions from the EU and Japan to climate finance, including in particular the loss and damage fund;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes that Japan joined the Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) in 2023 and expresses its expectation that Japan will work constructively to a meaningful reform of the WTO and in particular its Dispute Settlement System;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas Japan´s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a special guest at the “EU Connectivity Forum” in Brussels in September 2019, at which the EU and Japan concluded a Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure; whereas this partnership was the first of its kind; whereas the EU and Japan have committed to supporting secure and sustainable, trusted connectivity links; in the context of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment; whereas trans-Oceanic submarine cables, including along the Arctic Route, and energy transformation projects as well as investment into resilient supply chains are of particular priority;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas a new partnership agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific states will come into force in the near future; whereas this opens up opportunities for closer cooperation of the EU and Japan in their respective engagement with countries in the Indo-Pacific;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Expresses its willingness to cooperate with Japan on reducing global fossil-based steel and aluminium capacities;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas cooperation on scientific, societal, cultural and political issues and the mutual exchange of experience can strengthen the partnership and deliver for citizens on both sides; whereas parliamentary diplomacy and party-to- party relations can play a constructive role in this context;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Shares the Japanese emphasis on economic security and welcomes their support for the de-risking paradigm; takes note in this context of the G7 Leaders’ Statement on Economic Resilience and Economic Security and in particular the G7 Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion; values the G7 Framework for Collaboration on Digital Technology Standardisation, the cooperation with JOGMEC on CRM, the Industrial Policy Dialogue, the Hiroshima AI Process for responsible AI and calls on Commission to enhance EU-Japan cooperation on these issues;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Regrets that the EU-Japan Green Alliance of 2021 still remains a largely unfulfilled promise; calls on Commission to take initiatives for a reinvigorated cooperation that will deliver on substance in the near future;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Welcomes the Japanese government guidance on Business and Human Rights of 2022 and welcomes its efforts to adopt legislation equivalent to the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in 2024; welcomes Japan’s ratification of ILO Convention 105 on Forced Labour in 2022; expresses its expectations that Japan will also proceed to ratify the two remaining ILO fundamental conventions 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) and 155 on Occupational Safety and Health Convention, as well as the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention (P029);
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that the EU-Japan relationship is of exceptionally like-minded partners, built on a solid basis of shared values, democracy, common goals and mutually compatible interests, making Japan one of the EU’s most important and trusted partners globally; strongly emphasises the EU’s interest in deepening and broadening this partnership bilaterally and also in plurilateral and multilateral contexts; advocates for a Team Europe approach to the relationship; points out that with together almost 25% of global GDP, the partnership can and should play an important role in helping to shape a peaceful, rules-based, inclusive, just, sustainable and prosperous international order;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges the fundamental role of the EU-Japan economic partnership agreement and the EU-Japan SPA in the relationship; urges the remaining threewo EU Member States that have not yet done so to ratify the SPA; calls for the full implementation of both agreements; welcomes the development of an increasingly dense network of bilateral dialogues, consultations, memoranda and agreements with the annual EU-Japan Summit at the centre; welcomes also ever closer relations between Japan and individual EU Member States;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Applauds the work of the Japanese G7 presidency in 2023 and the overall excellent cooperation in the G7, calls on commission to focus on the deliverables identified in the G7 Hiroshima Leaders´ Communiqué, and welcomes the overall excellent cooperation in the G7, particularly on economic resilience and economic security; points out that the EU also needs to cooperate very closely with Japan in the G20, the WTO, the UN and its specialised agencies, the UNFCCC, international standardisation organisations and financial institutions and other international formats in the pursuit of peace, human rights, prosperity, the rule of law and the implementation of the sustainable development goals; welcomes that Japan joined the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) in 2023, and expresses its expectation that Japan will work constructively towards a meaningful reform of the WTO and in that regard its dispute settlement system;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Observes with interest Japan’s efforts to promote a stable architecture in thereliable regional stability architecture guided by the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, for instance through its participation in the QuadUAD, its engagement with Pacific island states or the recent Camp David Agreement with the Republic of Korea and the US; welcomes the important steps taken by the Japanese government and the Republic of Korea to build a future- oriented relationship, as both countries are critically important like-minded strategic partners of the European Union; continues to note Japan’s grave concerns about North Koreathe threat posed by North Korea’s increasing belligerence, supports Japan’s well-justified demands in that context, including on the abduction issue and proposes that the EU should consider a more coordinated approach in the so- called Enforcement Coordination Cell, situated in Yokosuka, Japan; intends to continuously cooperate with Japan in order to oppose China’s aggressive policies towards its neighbours; shares Japan’s position that Taiwan is an important partner and a precious friend; reaffirms that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the International Community; shares, further, Japan’s high regard for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan’s support in building maritime capacity for neighbouring countries; welcomes the fact that some new vice- ministerial formats in the region also include the EU (in groupings such as Japan/Australia/Korea/EU and Japan/Korea/US/EU); welcomes Japan’s role in Arctic regional cooperation and advocates strong EU-Japan collaboration on Arctic research;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is grateful for the USD 7.6 billion ofJapan’s robust and unwavering support Japan is providing to Ukraine forincluding USD 7.6 billion of financial assistance and grant aid for Ukraine in support of its self- defence inagainst Russia’s war of aggression; agrees with Japan that it is crucially important to promote the alignment of all international actors that support the UN principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity against imperiain order to facilitate peaceful conflisct revisionism or hegemonicsolution and to avoid coercion; expresses the EU’s clear commitment to supporting efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Indo- Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Wants to collaborate with Japan in developing more balanced relations with countries from the Global South; emphasises the importance of implementing necessary climate change policy financing, sustainable and free trade and a fair international energy transition; emphasises the importance of the Global Gateway Initiative and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment; welcomes the first five EU-Japan connectivity projects and the Far North Fiber Project;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Takes note of the shift in Japan’s national security strategy; continues to support Japan’s engagement for a world without nuclear weapons; calls for a comprehensive security partnership between the EU and Japan as the basis for enhanced consultations, common exercises, shared defence research and development and work on joint contingency planning for dangerous crises; welcomes Member States’ 2+2 dialogue formats with Japan; welcomes NATO’s Individual Tailored Partnership Programme with Japan, but regrets the fact that the opening of a NATO liaison office in Japan has been delayed; proposes the creation of an EU/NATO/AP4 (Japan/Korea/Australia/New Zealand) security dialogue format; encourages the European External Action Service to post a military attaché in Tokyo; would welcome the negotiation of an EU-Japan Framework Participation Agreement; is critical of the fact that the Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA) project is not very substantive; calls for enhanced maritime awareness cooperation on the basis of the Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO) initiative; insists on pursuing the goal of extending the EU’s coordinated maritime presence in the North-Western Indian Ocean also to the Pacific; insists on including non- conventional security issues such disinformation, cyber, including in particular state-sponsored cyber-attacks, space and climate change;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Shares the Japanese emphasis on economic security and welcomes its support for the de-risking paradigm; takes note, in this context, of the G7 Coordination Platform on Economic coercion; proposes an economic security dialogue in the context of the EU-Japan High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED); points out the huge relevance of the EU- Japan Digital Partnership; welcomes the negotiations on data flows under the EPA, provided that the 2018 horizontal provisions on cross-border data flows and personal data protection are integrated in the text; remains confident that the reciprocal adequacy under data protection laws is maintained; values the G7 Framework for Collaboration on Digital Technology Standardisation, cooperation with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) on critical raw materials, the Industrial Policy Dialogue and the Hiroshima AI Process for responsible artificial intelligence (AI); regrets Japan’s reluctance to participate in Horizon Europesupports the resumption of the Trilateral Cooperation for a Global Level Playing Field between the EU, Japan and the US to address subsidies and unfair market conditions; regrets Japan’s reluctance to participate in Horizon Europe, objects against any exclusion of Japan from Horizon Europe, and supports the Council and the Commission in promoting this aim; Japan´s participation;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the fact that the EU-Japan Green Alliance of 2021 still remains a largely unfulfilled promise; would welcome a more active role in this regard from the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the EU-Japan Business Roundtable, particularly on recycling; notes that Japan has committed to releasinge ALPS-treated water from the Fukushima power plant only on the basis of scientific standards, transparency and independent supervision; hopes for a more proactive Japanese role on loss and damage, as well as climate finance, at the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 28); recalls the need to cooperate on making progress in the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), strengthening global ocean governance and the sustainable use of ocean’s resources;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Emphasises the importance of people-to-people contacts for sharing and comparing experiences on issues such as gender equality, health policy, food security, an ageing society, new cultural developments or labour practises; values parliamentary exchanges andlike digital culture or Green culture, local self-governance, civil society organisation or labour practises; values parliamentary and party-to-party exchanges and advocates the invitation of a high-ranking delegation of the Japanese parliament to Brussels in 2024 in celebration of the 40th anniversary of EU-Japan diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of the EU-Japan Connectivity agreement; emphasizes the human rights dialogue, where we can discuss, for instance, the death penalty in Japan, which we oppose, and other human rights issues of mutual interest; values mutual exchange about efforts to eliminate discrimination of Sinti, Buraku, or other minorities; calls on Commission to fund more Japan-related research to foster European Japan competency; proposes the creation of an EU-Japan young leaders forum on global partnership in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals; reiterates its concerns about parental child abduction; welcomes the Japanese government’s Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains of 2022 and; welcomes its efforts ton this context Japan´s ratification of ILO Convention 105 on Forced Labour in 2022; hopes it can adopt legislation equivalent to the EU’s corporate sustainability due diligence directive in 2024;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Government of Japan, the EU Member States’ Parliaments, the Government of Japan, the Japanese Parliament and to all organisations and institutions mentioned in this report.