EU set to make its mind up over trade talks with Japan

the EU car market has more barriers than Japan’s, with a 10% tariff on imported Japanese cars.

But EU carmarkers say they face numerous “non-tariff barriers” that hinder exports to Japan. The country has a category of “light” cars, which benefit from tax breaks.

Most small European cars, such as the Fiat 500, do not meet the category’s demanding criteria on size and power, however, making it hard for them to compete with Japanese vehicles.

You guys must be joking just redisign the car to meet the criteria and the car will be catagorized as kei-cars simple as that. On the other hand Japan has no tariff on imported cars while Europe places 10%. Japan has never stopped foreign manufacturers from developing kei-cars. As proof Smart actually placed a model into the market they didn't succeed in capturing the market but that is another story. Bottom line if you can't localize you will not succeed simple as that.

To pacify the UK public's desire to leave the EU, the political class often tells us that one of the main benefits of being in the EU is to have a powerful collective voice in things like trade negotiations, therefore having influence on the world stage. That doesn't make sense if you can't make up your mind! Different countries with different interests.

@SamuraiBlue; what do you mean by "if you can't localize?" I think it's fair for both parts to protect their markets.

Hey if it means I can buy a Kei car in the UK bring it on!

Thunderbird2

You can I believe Daihatsu had placed Copan on the UK market.

“We need to ensure our products can actually reach Japanese consumers without being blocked by legal or security barriers,” said one Italian diplomat.

Yup, that's what it all boils down to. Japan saying "free trade" and Japan actually implementing free trade are much different.

This is a lost cause. France and Italy would never ever open their borders without having the food included into the deal. And this is the biggest Japanese hurdle to join any free trade associations. Just forget about this proposal.

If they opened the market to Korean cars, how can they not do the same for Japanese cars?

There would seem to be repercussions to such blatantly biased bilateral accords.

I'm sure that trade between the EU and Japan dwarfs that between the EU and ROK.

Another "non-tariff barrier" whining in line with the king of all whiners, U.S. automakers.

Scotch whiskey

Should be spelled

Scotch whisky

samuraiblue, I could give you some insights on the unfair practice on the Japanese governed

@herefornow

Yes, that hits the mail on the head. The next thought of course should be, that this is about two areas whose economic importance is on a steep slope downwards, and it will not matter too much anyway what Europe and Japan can try....