EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement Enforces...Strengthen political and economic cooperation

The "Strategic Partnership Agreement," SPA, which will be the basis for strengthening cooperation between the European Union and Japan in all directions, took effect on New Year's Day.

The SPA is the first agreement to stipulate bilateral relations based on common values such as democracy, rule of law, human rights, and market economy.

The agreement will ensure closer political and economic cooperation on a variety of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, the EU explained.

The two sides plan to strengthen cooperation in the security and terrorism sectors, in response to serious international crimes and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and are expected to seek further cooperation in space, information and communication technology, and energy.

The SPA's entry into force comes 11 years after negotiations began in 2013, and six years after the EU-Japan summit agreed on the final text in July 2018.

The joint committee, which will be established upon the entry into force of the agreement, will coordinate the positions of both sides on various issues and discuss potential dispute resolution.