Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union institutions in Brussels said in a statement today, Wednesday, that the first-ever bilateral framework agreement between the European Union and its member states, on the one hand, and Japan on the other hand, the Strategic Partnership Agreement, entered into force today.
According to a European statement, this important agreement will guide the future partnership between the two parties and ensure closer political and economic cooperation on a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.
Thanks to the Strategic Partnership Agreement, the European Union and Japan will be better positioned to strengthen the multilateral and rules-based global order, of which the United Nations is the core, and to defend shared values ​​and principles such as: the rule of law, democracy, respect for human rights, open markets, and free and fair trade.
With regard to the bilateral dimension, the agreement will enhance security cooperation and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and serious international crimes, as well as the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In addition, the Strategic Partnership Agreement will enhance sectoral cooperation in areas such as: space, information and communications technology, industrial policy, energy, transport, education, research and innovation.
A joint committee will coordinate the comprehensive partnership and provide a forum for discussing all issues covered by the agreement. In addition, the agreement provides for dispute settlement procedures to deal with potential disagreements.

On 17 July 2018, the EU and Japan signed the agreement in Tokyo. The European Parliament gave its consent on 12 December 2018, and on 5 April 2024, the ratification procedure for the agreement by the Member States was completed.

In parallel with the negotiations on the Strategic Partnership Agreement, the EU and its Member States opened negotiations on an Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan on 29 November 2012. These negotiations began in April 2013 and the contents of the first-ever bilateral framework agreement between the EU and Japan were finalized in April 2018.

The Council took the decision to conclude the Strategic Partnership Agreement on 22 April 2024, paving the way for the agreement to enter into force today.