EU, Japan Progress With Trade Talks

The European Union (EU) and Japan have held a third round of negotiations toward a free trade agreement (FTA) that is expected to boost Europe's economy by up to 0.8 percent.

The round focused on an analysis of each side's proposals for the FTA's text. Discussions took place in a number of working groups, covering topics such as trade in goods and services, technical barriers to trade and non-tariff measures, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, investment, procurement, competition, and intellectual property, among others.