Civil societies of the EU and Japan working together on global challenges

The representatives of the civil societies of the EU and Japan, a forum of some 50 participants drawn from European and Japanese employers´, employees and consumers´ organisations, academia, and other major stakeholders met for the third time in Brussels on 28 May 2010.

The seminar was co-chaired by Mr. Sandy Boyle, Vice-Chair of the EESC Section of External Relations (REX) and H.E. Nobutake Odano, Ambassador of Japan to the EU.

During the meeting, participants discussed mutual interests during a session on “Economic growth and jobs in low-carbon economy”, and particularly, civil society´s role in the ongoing debate on the future shape of EU-Japan cooperation and their key expectations for the role of business, employees, academia, and society´s other major stakeholders should play in this.

Civil society leaders agreed on their recommendations for the future EU-Japan Action Plan after 2011 based on the conclusions of the last EU-Japan Summit held on 28 April 2010 in Tokyo, which reaffirmed the parties´ commitment to fundamental values and principles.

Recommendations on the future role of civil society in EU-Japan relations

Presentation "Skills in the low-carbon economy from the business perspective" (V.Dbalová)

Vladimíra Drbalová
International Organisations and EU Affairs
EESC Member