EU-Japan Summit 2023: Joint Statement
President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio of Japan met in Brussels on 13 July 2023 for the 29th Summit between the European Union and Japan and issued the following statement:
1. We, the leaders of the European Union (EU) and Japan, acclaim our ever closer strategic partnership, built on our shared values and rooted in our commitment to multilateralism to meet global challenges and the needs of our citizens.
2. We reaffirm our commitment to sustain a free and open international order based on the rule of law, with the Charter of the United Nations (UN), respect for international law, universal human rights and an open, free and fair trading system at its core, in order to support peace, prosperity and dignity for all. In this context, the EU welcomes Japan’s successful G7 Presidency and its results.
3. The security of Europe and that of the Indo-Pacific are closely interlinked. We remain resolute in our support to Ukraine and our opposition to Russia’s brutal, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression. We condemn the continued defiance of the UN Security Council resolutions by North Korea. We seek peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific, in particular through compliance by all with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion anywhere in the world and reaffirm that the acquisition of territory by force is prohibited. Confrontation should be resolved peacefully through dialogue, and we support a just and durable peace that is based on respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter.
4. In the face of unprecedented challenges, we are committed to working together – and with a wide range of partners – to promote peace, security, the rule of law and democratic values, ensure prosperity and economic security, address humanitarian needs, achieve sustainable development, foster human-centric digitalisation, tackle climate change and environmental degradation, enhance health security including through strengthening global health architecture, and achieve universal health coverage (UHC).
5. In response to these fundamental issues of cooperation, we are taking concrete steps to:
- Ensure the full and effective implementation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in strengthening the resilience of our trade and investment relations for the benefit of our citizens and business community.
- Strengthen our cooperation on economic resilience and economic security and enhanced cooperation starting with critical raw material supply chains, welcoming the signing on the Administrative Arrangement between the Directorate General for Internal, Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMES (DG GROW) and Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) on 6 July 2023.
- Establish a Strategic Dialogue at foreign ministerial level and develop further our security partnership.
- Intensify cooperation on counter-piracy and welcome the signature of an Administrative Arrangement on 15 March 2023.
- Step up joint work on the energy and green transitions under our Green Alliance, welcoming the Memorandum of Cooperation on Hydrogen signed on 2 December 2022.
- Accelerate our cooperation on the digital transformation, following the first meeting of the Digital Partnership Council in Tokyo on 3 July 2023, and the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on semiconductors and a Memorandum of Cooperation to support secure and resilient submarine cable connectivity between the EU and Japan.
- Operationalise our Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure by jointly identifying a first list of substantial connectivity projects.
- Further enhance air connectivity between the EU and Japan, building on the “EU-Japan Horizontal Agreement for Air Services“ signed in February 2023.
- Continue to exchange views for Japan’s possible association to Horizon Europe and welcome the signature of the Research Framework Arrangement for cooperation on foresight.
- Further cooperate in the field of space and welcome the Administrative Arrangement on Cooperation of Copernicus, signed on 17 January 2023.
Working for peace, security and the rule of law
6. The EU and Japan condemn once more in the strongest terms the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, and the violation of the UN Charter and international law that it represents. Russia must end its aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its military forces and equipment from the entire internationally-recognised territory of Ukraine. We stress that the destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on 6 June 2023 with catastrophic consequences would not have happened if Russia had not started its unjustifiable, unprovoked, and illegal war of aggression. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes and are committed to supporting its recovery and reconstruction. We commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and other support for Ukraine. We remain committed to maintaining and increasing collective pressure on Russia, including through possible further restrictive measures. We will further prevent the circumvention of the respective measures against Russia. We reiterate our support for the efforts by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in setting out basic principles in his Peace Formula in line with the UN Charter and we will continue our efforts for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. There must be no impunity for war crimes and other serious crimes committed in Russia’s war against Ukraine. We will continue also to counter the negative impacts of the war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people and those most affected, including countries from the immediate neighbourhood such as the Republic of Moldova.