On 6 December, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Japan hosted a highly successful EU-Japan Connectivity Seminar under the title ‘Moving from Policy to Action’. It was an opportunity for participants from both sides to discuss concrete ways to move forward and operationalise the Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure (Connectivity Partnership) signed between the EU and Japan in September 2019.

It marked the first time all key players[1] from both sides came together to see how to better cooperate in investment projects focusing on energy, digital and transport sectors in third countries while respecting the highest economic efficiency as well as fiscal, environmental, social and transparency standards, including open access to infrastructure services. 

The Seminar, which aimed to pave the way for further progress in promoting trusted, secure, sustainable, comprehensive and rules-based connectivity projects globally through the implementation of the Partnership, was a key follow-up action to the EU-Japan Summit of May 2022. Participants identified an important number of existing and potential projects for EU-Japan cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership countries and Central Asia which will be further explored in coming months.

With this bilateral Connectivity Partnership, coupled with its Global Gateway strategy, the EU seeks to work closely with Japan to build more sustainable societies and economies that work for both people and small businesses in partner countries.

[1] The European External Action Service, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the EU Member States, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Japan External Trade Organization and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation