EU hoping to issue message to Trump by securing Japan trade deal
Negotiators from the EU amd Japan are trashing out the world's biggest free trade deal
Both sides want to see the paperwork signed off by before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe arrives flies into Belgium for talks on July 5 or 6 ahead of a G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7.
EU chief negotiator Mauro Petriccione will be in Tokyo beforehand, laying vital groundwork for what diplomats hope will be a final sprint toward the finish line.
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has made it clear she wants the EU to be the global leader in free trade and a deal with the world’s third-biggest economy would be seen as a retort against US President Donald Trump’s protectionist agenda.
In recent remarks, Ms Malmström called an accord with Tokyo her “main priority in the short term”.