Luxembourg eager to start Japan-EU FTA talks soon

TOKYO, April 20 Kyodo -
Visiting Luxembourg Vice Prime Minister Jean Asselborn said Wednesday his country expects Japan and the 27-nation European Union to begin negotiations on sealing a bilateral free trade agreement soon after they reach an accord to launch the talks during their summit meeting scheduled for late May.
Asselborn told a news conference in Tokyo that Luxembourg, an original member of the regional bloc, will make ''all-out efforts'' to begin the FTA talks as it believes politicians of the two economies should promote the arrangement ''when a sense of solidarity is spreading'' after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Through the FTA, Japan is aiming to eliminate EU tariffs on cars and electric appliances, while the European bloc wants nontariff barriers in Japan to be eased, such as restrictions on European businesses' access to Japan's farm and medical markets as well as government procurement.
The Luxembourg vice premier, who doubles as foreign minister, said the bilateral FTA should guarantee win-win relations and that he is confident that Japan will enhance European access to its markets just as South Korea has agreed to do.
An FTA between South Korea and the European Union is scheduled to take effect in July, putting Japanese businesses at a disadvantage in competition with South Korean rivals in the European market. The pact will abolish European tariffs on South Korean vehicles and household appliances within five years.
In relation to the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant triggered by the quake and tsunami, Asselborn said his country promotes alternative energy and called for cooperation among Japan, Europe and the United States on the development of clean energy.
He said European nations are divided on whether to continue with the promotion of nuclear energy and it would be difficult to reach a common position during the upcoming Group of Eight summit in the French resort city of Deauville in late May.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will chair the meeting of leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, has proposed discussing new international nuclear safety standards at the G-8 summit, following the Fukushima crisis.
While France, which relies on nuclear power for nearly 80 percent of its electricity, is continuing to uphold the use of atomic power, other European countries such as Germany and Italy are poised to review their nuclear policies.
Asselborn urged Japan, China and South Korea to craft a common policy stance on nuclear power generation after analyzing Tokyo's response to the Fukushima crisis. ''If this region can agree on a common policy, it will be a good model for other parts of the world,'' he said.