EBC Meeting Minutes

EOB Meeting Notes

Tuesday, October 16, 2007; EBC Office, 08:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

      

Attendees: R. Collasse, A. Murray, J. Edberg, C. Mayali, M. Theoval, M. Loefflad M. Hoffmann (for H. Tempel), H. Porat, R. Scherpenhuijsen Rom, E. Ullner
Regrets: A. Groff, C. Eilersen, P. Thewliss, D. Delgorge, G. Keown

1. REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN

  1. The EBC Chairman held a series of key meetings in Brussels as part of the EIA Expert Committee outreach efforts.

    1. Meeting with Business Europe
      On October 4, EBC Chairman met with Adrian Van den Hoven and Carlos Gonzalez of BUSINESSEUROPE to discuss the EU EIA Task Force. Unexpectedly, the meeting was also attended by a representative of ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers' Association). The meeting was expected to provide an opportunity for both the EBC and Business Europe to discuss a cooperative EIA Task force process and timeline for preparing the industry recommendations. Chairman Collasse explained that at the BRDT in June, Working Party 1 was tasked with preparing the European industry set of recommendations to be submitted to the governments in 2008. He further emphasized that collaboration between Business Europe and the EBC on the EIA Task Force was important and that the EBC in Japan could not take on this commitment without their European counterparts. The BUSINESSEUROPE representatives expressed their concern that the EIA set of recommendations should clearly reflect the European perspective. EBC chairman responded by reaffirming the fact that the EBC represents the concerns of European business in Japan and has always taken on a strong position vis-a-vis regulatory constraints imposed by the Japanese government on foreign businesses and in fact is an expert organization with a 35-year history of expertise in this area.

    2. Meeting with the European Commission
      On October 4, the EBC Chairman met in Brussels with David O'Sullivan, Director-General, DG Trade; Alan Seatter, Director, North America, East Asia, Australia, NZ, EEA, EFTA, San Marino, Andorra and Monaco, External Relations Directorate; and Gerhard Lohan, Head of the Japan Unit, External Relations Directorate. The EBC Chairman was warmly welcomed and the subsequent discussion was productive. The Commission made it clear that the EIA Taskforce and its supporting Expert Committees should produce a set of recommendations that comes directly from the industry. At this point in time, the Commission is observing the discussion with interest and appreciates receiving regular updates on the process.

    3. Meeting with JETRO Brussels
      On October 4, EBC Chairman met with JETRO Brussels office. The meeting was an opportunity to share information on each organization's EIA activities as well as to emphasize that at this early stage in the process, activities and discussions remain within the private sector and that the Japanese government should not initiate a bilateral government dialogue.

  2. Upcoming meetings

    1. EBC Chairman has called for an Extraordinary meeting of Chamber presidents on October 18. This meeting is of high importance and chamber presidents are urged to attend.

    2. On October 22, the EBC Chairman and Executive Director will meet with Ambassador Richardson. At the meeting, the Chairman will provide an update of his recent meetings in Brussels.

    3. On October 29, the EBC secretariat will have a meeting with EU Parliamentarians (Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee). In addition to the EBC Chairman, Executive Director and Policy Director, a range of EBC's financial sector committee members will attend.

    4. On October 30, the EBC Chairman will meet again with Alan Seatter, Director, North America, East Asia, Australia, NZ, EEA, EFTA, San Marino, Andorra and Monaco, External Relations Directorate. Mr. Seatter will visit Japan for discussions with the Japanese government.

    5. On November 8, the EBC Chairman and Executive Director will attend the bimonthly Investment Group meeting with representatives of Japanese government offices.

    6. On November 8, the EBC Chairman will give a presentation at the monthly meeting of Ambassadors. The presentation will provide an update on EBC activities, specifically the white paper, and the proposed EIA and aims to keep the Ambassadors well informed on the role and function of the EBC.

    7. The annual EBC cocktail party for BOG will be hosted at the Chanel office on December 6 from 6:30 p.m. This annual event is held in honor of EBC leaders (BoG, EOB and Committee Chairmen) to thank those whose active participation and leadership contributes to the EBC's success.

2. REPORT FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  1. EBC 2007 White Paper Production: EOB members were given rudimentary copies of the 2007 White Paper, currently in the last stages of production. The Executive Director explained that the 2007 White Paper is presented in a new format to improve the presentation of issues and recommendations as well as highlight the theme of this year's white paper, the EIA.

  2. White Paper Luncheon Launch: The White Paper Launch Luncheon will be held at the Westin hotel on November 21. The Event will gather key leaders of all European Embassies, industry and Japanese government. The Executive Director encouraged EOB leaders to encourage attendance from their chamber members.

  3. EOB Lunch with Ambassador Richardson: On November 13, the EBC will hold a lunch for the EOB to meet with Ambassador Richardson and key personnel of the EU delegation. The EOB meeting may be shifted to a later time (11:15-12:15), immediately before the lunch if a reservation can be obtained at Beige (in the Chanel Bldg.)

  4. ETP promotion update: The Executive Director has met with several individuals who have expressed interest in applying for the ETP program, but only one met the eligibility requirements of the program. The person in charge of ETP in the European Commission, Michel Martino, will come to Japan and visit the EBC Secretariat on November 7. The ETP25 graduation party will be held on November 6.

  5. Osaka Chamber of Commerce: The Executive Director met with a representative from the Osaka Chamber of Commerce who confirmed his interest in hosting a meeting with the EOB next year in either the spring or fall. The Osaka Chamber's new brochure will include an upcoming interview with the EBC Chairman.

  6. Meeting with Trade Counselor, Embassy of Portugal: The EBC has been asked to select speakers for an informative session on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). Takeshi Nakao (representing the Chairman of the Legal Services Committee), Gerald Lies of the Tax Committee, and EBC Policy Director, Jakob Edberg will participate in the information session.

  7. The Executive Director met with the secretary-general of the Japanese-German Center Berlin, Dr. Friederike Bosse. Dr. Bosse was seeking suggestions for speakers at some of the Center's upcoming events and offered to host a seminar in the future on a topic of interest to the EBC.

  8. Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) meeting: The JFTC met with the EBC to announce that they are conducting a survey of foreign capitalised companies on corporate governance compliance.

3. REPORT FROM THE POLICY DIRECTOR

  1. Most efforts in past months have been focused on completing the EBC White Paper.

  2. Amendments to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) will introduce new immigration procedures on November 20. The new procedures will require fingerprinting and photos of all foreigners except diplomats, special permanent residents, and children under the age of 16. Semi-automatic gates will be installed at the same time allowing pre-registered Japanese and foreign residents to have automatic access without lining up for inspection. However, the Ministry has yet to issue an official notice with details on the new entry and departure procedures.

  3. Banking Committee: The chairman of the banking committee is continuously meeting with the Financial Services Agency (FSA) to recommend that firewall restrictions under the current FIEL Law be lifted to allow financial services businesses to act as one financial conglomerate.

  4. Airline Committee: The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has issued a set of guidelines on revision of competition policies and regulations of the international aviation industry. The guidelines are available for public comment until October 31.

  5. The EBC Insurance Committee has been asked to present its views on the new privatization plan in an hearing held by the Postal Privatisation Committee.

  6. A new EBC Freight and Logistics has been established and 11 companies have reported their interest in participating.

  7. The EBC is also considering the possibility of setting up a Chemicals Committee as a French chemical company recently contacted the EBS about a tariff issue and indicated that they will find some other companies that might be interested in joining.

4. FUNDING MATTERS
The final 2008 stakeholder fees and draft budget has been sent to the Chamber presidents for their approval. The deadline for written approval is November 30.

5. EOB LIAISON
The EOB Committee Liaison List was finalised. Please refer to the attached list. The Executive Director explained that the function of the EOB liaison is to oversee the activities of the relevant committees and provide assistance to the EBC secretariat in the event that a crisis of some type occurs within the committee.

6. 4th DAIMLERCHRYSLER CUP REPORT:
Erik Ullner announced that the European team won this year's Daimler Chrysler cup.

7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
None