The EU and Japan: In Search of A Stronger Euro-Asian Leg of the Global System

There is reason to hope that a new phase of EU-Japan political dialogue may have begun. The March 25th summit between the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and the Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō, in the context of the XXI EU-Japan Summit, held in Tokyo, was truly significant. In particular, the opening of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement and investment incentives in order to foster economic growth and job opportunities, diversifies and enriches the quality of this historic partnership. Moreover, this encourages new analytical perspectives on the potential strengthening of the so-called “weak side” – the Eurasian axis – of the world economic triangle formed by North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It is a development that can provide the basis of a more balanced international system.