The EU-Japan leaders agreed to eliminate all “unnecessary barriers” between the two sides amid the Coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to keep the trade system… Read More »
The EU-Japan leaders agreed to eliminate all “unnecessary barriers” between the two sides amid the Coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to keep the trade system open.
The announcement was made after a videoconference meeting held among the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel and the Japanese Prime Minister, Abe Shinzo, on Tuesday.
The EU-Japan leaders highlighted the importance of keeping the trade system open, by sustaining the flow of medical supplies, goods and services, and of ensuring the proportionality of measures taken to tackle the spread of Covid-19. To this end, both sides pledged to refrain from unnecessary travel and export restrictions.
They stressed the need to strengthen preparedness and response capacities, and to improve international response to future pandemics, calling for the future COVID-19 vaccine to become a global common good.
They also backed the conduction of an independent inquiry to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) response to the pandemic.
“We share with Japan the same values: multilateralism, rule of law, democracy,” Michel said, after stressing the need to “reform some international organisations”.
Thank you @AbeShinzo for your time to discuss global issues & our bilateral relations. Global solidarity, cooperation & multilateralism are needed more than ever to defeat the #coronavirus & ensure economic recovery. Looking forward to expanding & deepen our bilateral agenda.???????????????? pic.twitter.com/Wf6T5F6Kpx
— Ursula von der Leyen #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus (@vonderleyen) May 26, 2020
