In a nutshell ... "few specific details are known and a full, workable agreement may take some time."
I'm seeing a lot of trumpeting of this deal, but its still an in principle thing with plenty to work through.
- The EU and Japan have done two deals for the price of one: a trade deal and a complementary "Strategic Partnership". One will create a major free-trading economic bloc, the second will see them co-operate in other areas like combating climate change.
- Both are "in principle" deals, some details to be agreed, so there could still be hurdles.
- EU-Japan negotiations began in 2012 then stalled. It was Donald Trump's election, and the inward turn America is taking, that spurred the EU and Japan to overcome their differences. Both want to show domestic audiences they can deliver signature deals that promise new economic opportunities.
- They also want to send a clear message internationally that the EU and Japan, highly-developed democracies, remain committed to a liberal, free-trading, rules-based world, and they will seek to shape it even if the US won't.
So, a good start but still plenty to do.
