The European Union and Japan have signed a bilateral trade agreement that creates the world's largest free trade zone for goods and services, as opposed to US protectionist policies. The European Commission's communiqué says that Brussels and Tokyo simultaneously created the largest zone of secure data flows in the world, agreeing on mutual recognition of the adequacy and reliability of personal data protection. It is noted that, in accordance with the final version of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement signed in December last year, countries that account for about 30% of world GDP eliminate 99% of existing customs tariffs.
