WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will meet with the president of the European Commission next week at the White House, days after labeling the European Union a “foe” of the United States.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with Trump at the White House on July 25. She says security, counterterrorism, and energy will be on the agenda, as well as trade. The commission is an institution of the European Union.

Trump said in a recent CBS interview, “I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union but they’re a foe.”

Trump has alienated some allies over his protectionist trade policies, including tariffs on EU aluminum and steel exports to the U.S.</s>Theresa May wins key vote in House of Commons amid ongoing Brexit turmoil

Theresa May has again narrowly avoided a significant defeat in Westminster, amid the ongoing political turmoil over her Brexit plans.

A number of pro-European Conservative MPs had put forward an amendment for Britain to remain in a customs union if no trade agreement has been reached by next January 21st.

The amendment - considered a significant challenge to the government - was backed by Labour.

However, the amendment was ultimately defeated by the government with 307 votes to 301 .

"I said would instead of wouldn't" - Trump says he misspoke during press conference with Putin

Donald Trump has moved to clarify remarks he made during his press conference with Vladimir Putin yesterday, suggesting he misspoke.

The US President provoked controversy following his summit in Helsinki with the Russian leader yesterday, including from Republicans.

However, today he insisted that he accepted US intelligence agencies conclusions that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.

Ryanair has cancelled 24 flights between Ireland and the UK this Friday as it's Irish-based pilots prepare for a second day of strike action.

In a statement this afternoon, the airline said the cancellations affect "high frequency routes" between the UK and Ireland "to minimise the impact on the holiday plans" of Irish families travelling to the continent.

From left to right: President of the European Council Donald Tusk, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in Tokyo in 2015 | Image: © European Union

The European Union and Japan have signed an Economic Partnership Agreement.

EU firms export over €58bn in goods and €28bn in services to Japan every year.

Under the trade agreement, Japan will remove trade barriers and shape global trade rules in line with EU standards and values.

New drink driving laws have passed through all stages in the Oireachtas, after senators voted in favour of the legislation this afternoon.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill will see the introduction of an automatic driving ban for first-time offenders, including those detected at the lowest limit.

It will also make it an offence for car owners to allow a learner driver to use their car without a qualified driver.

The new laws will come into force after the bill is signed by President Higgins.</s>In Face Of Protectionism, EU And Japan Sign Huge Open-Trade Deal

Enlarge this image toggle caption Koji Sasahara/AP Koji Sasahara/AP

Japan and the European Union have signed a massive trade deal that creates an open-trade zone for more than 600 million people. The EU and Japan account for about one-third of GDP worldwide.

The deal has been in the works for years, but the parties reached an agreement in principle a year ago, several months after President Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major trade deal with Japan and 10 other nations.

At a EU-Japan summit on Tuesday in Tokyo, the envoys were clear that the agreement was intended to send a message about the value of trade and cooperation.

"The document we signed today is much more than a trade agreement," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "What we're saying is that we believe in open, fair and rules-based trade. What we are saying is that a trade agreement is not a zero-sum game, but a win-win for the involved parties."

"Right now, concerns are rising over protectionism all around the world," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted as saying by The Japan Times."We are sending out a message emphasizing the importance of a trade system based on free and fair rules."

The trade deal is set to eliminate the "vast majority" of the $1.1 billion in duties that EU companies pay to Japan, according to the European Commission.

The deal removes "about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods sold to the EU," according to The Associated Press. "About 94 percent of the tariffs on European exports to Japan will be lifted, rising to 99 percent in the future."

As The Economist has noted, at its most basic level, it is "a deal easing the flow of cheese in one direction and cars in the other."

"The deal removes EU tariffs of 10 percent on Japanese cars and 3 percent on most car parts," according to Reuters. "It would also scrap Japanese duties of some 30 percent or more on EU cheese and 15 percent on wines, and secure access to large public tenders in Japan."

The EU agricultural sector appears poised to benefit. And according to the Japan Times, some farmers in Japan are worried that an influx of European food products might impact them negatively.

The agreement stands in sharp contrast to trade developments in the U.S., where the Trump administration has pushed forward with an array of tariffs on several nations. Most recently, the U.S. announced plans to impose $200 billion in new tariffs on Chinese imports, leading China to file a case with the World Trade Organization this week. Other U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel have upset trade partners Canada, Mexico and the EU.

The European Union hailed the trade deal with Japan as the largest it has ever negotiated.

"We are sending a strong signal to the world that two of its biggest economies still believe in open trade, opposing both unilateralism and protectionism," said EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström.

The agreement still needs to be approved by the respective parliaments, with the hope that it could come into force in 2019. It was originally set to be signed earlier this month, but Abe rescheduled the ceremony because of deadly floods in western Japan.</s>The European Union and Japan on Tuesday signed the Economic Partnership Agreement, a pact that would allow free bilateral trade in most sectors and is expected to boost both economies.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk signed the document at a ceremony in Abe's office in Tokyo.</s>The leaders of Japan and the European Union signed a deal to create one of the world’s largest liberalized trade zones, a contrast to escalating trade disputes between the U.S. and several of its trading partners.

While the signing in Tokyo on Tuesday was largely ceremonial, it marked a rare moment of unity on trade. In recent months, President Donald Trump has launched an array of punitive tariffs on products from China and elsewhere, stating that the action is needed to correct the unfair trade advantages of other nations.

Trump: The European Union is our ‘foe’

The EU and Japan’s answer to Trump’s trade policies has been the biggest trade deal struck by Brussels that will eliminate some €1 billion ($1.17 billion) in tariffs for European companies annually and double that amount for Japanese exporters to the 28-member bloc, according to EU officials.

Read: China cozies up to EU as trade spat with U.S. escalates

“We are sending a clear message that we stand together against protectionism,” European Council President Donald Tusk said at press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The Japan-EU deal eliminates most bilateral tariffs, creating more favorable terms for Japanese autos sold in the EU, and European wine and dairy products sold in Japan. The EU and Japan together account for around 30% of global economic output.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

Trump Questions Finding of Russia’s 2016 Meddling as He Appears With Putin

Elon Musk’s Twitter Rant Against Cave Rescuer Extreme Even for Him</s>Leaders from the European Union and Japan today formally signed off on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA).

Following a number of years of preparations, and with the negotiations finalised in December 2017, the agreements were officially signed at the 25th EU-Japan summit held in Tokyo earlier today (Tuesday, July 17).

At the summit the international leaders reaffirmed their resolve to “work together for the rules-based international order and to promote a free and fair global economy”.

Following the summit, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, issued statements of solidarity.

At the summit, President Juncker said: “Today’s signature of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement is a landmark moment for global trade.

“EU firms already export over €58 billion in goods and €28 billion in services to Japan every year. This deal has the potential to increase that by as much as 24%.

“It will remove the vast majority of the €1 billion of duties paid every year by companies that export to Japan.”

Singling out agriculture, the President of the European Commission highlighted: “It is also good news for our agricultural sector.

Duties will be scrapped for cheeses as well as on wine. It is also good for farm producers and it is opening the way for the protection of 200 European Geographical Indications that will now enjoy the same level of protection in Japan that they have in Europe.

“And by the same token, Japanese products such as Kobe Beef or Yubari Melon will be protected in Europe.”

President Juncker added that there would be an immediate tariff elimination of up to 4% on over 90% of Japanese car part and of all tariffs on cars within the next seven years.

Celebrating the formal signing of the agreement today, the European Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development issued a series of tweets on social media, highlighting the agricultural benefits of the deal.

It said: “Tariffs on beef will be cut from 38.5% to 9% over 15 years for a large volume of beef products.

“While the EU is already the main player on the Japanese cheese market, the EU-Japan deal will eliminate high export duties on hard cheeses like gouda and cheddar (currently 29.8%) and establish a duty-free quota for fresh cheeses such as mozzarella.” Chinese internet giant to make Irish beef available to 300 million users</s>TOKYO >> The European Union and Japan are signing a widespread trade deal Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs, seemingly defying the worries about trade tensions set off by President Donald Trump’s policies.

TOKYO >> The European Union and Japan are signing a widespread trade deal Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs, seemingly defying the worries about trade tensions set off by President Donald Trump’s policies.

The signing in Tokyo for the deal, largely reached late last year, is ceremonial. It was delayed from earlier this month because Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who arrived Monday, will also attend a gala dinner at the prime minister’s official residence.

Both sides are heralding the deal, which covers a third of the global economy and more than 600 million people.

Prices of European wine and pork will fall for Japanese consumers. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will get cheaper for Europe.

The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods to the EU, but remaining at around 94 percent for European imports into Japan for now and rising to 99 percent over the years. The difference is due to exceptions such as rice, a product that’s culturally and politically sensitive and has been protected for decades in Japan.

The major step toward liberalizing trade was discussed in talks since 2013 but is striking in the timing of the signing, as China and the U.S. are embroiled in trade conflicts.

The U.S. is proposing 10 percent tariffs on a $200 billion list of Chinese goods. That follows an earlier move by Washington to impose 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese goods. Beijing has responded by imposing identical penalties on a similar amount of American imports.

Besides the latest deal with the EU, Japan is working on other trade agreements, including a far-reaching trans-Pacific deal. The partnership includes Australia, Mexico, Vietnam and other nations, although the U.S. has withdrawn.

Japan praised the deal with the EU as coming from Abe’s “Abenomics” policies, designed to wrest the economy out of stagnation despite a shrinking population and cautious spending. Japan’s growth continues to be heavily dependent on exports.

By strengthening ties with the EU, Japan hopes to vitalize mutual direct investment, fight other global trends toward protectionism and enhance the stature of Japanese brands, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The EU said the trade liberalization will lead to the region’s export growth in chemicals, clothing, cosmetics and beer to Japan, leading to job security for Europe. Japanese will get cheaper cheese, such as Parmesan, gouda and cheddar, as well as chocolate and biscuits.

Japanese consumers have historically coveted European products, and a drop in prices is likely to boost spending.</s>TOKYO >> The European Union and Japan signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on products they trade.

The ambitious pact signed in Tokyo runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners. It covers a third of the global economy and markets of more than 600 million people.

“The EU and Japan showed an undeterred determination to lead the world as flag-bearers for free trade,” Abe said at a joint news conference with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.” He said the partnership is being strengthened in various other areas, including defense, climate change and human exchange, and is “sending a clear message” against protectionism.

The leaders did not mention Trump by name, but they did little to mask what was on their minds — highlighting how Europe and Japan have been pushed closer by Trump’s actions.

The agreement was largely reached late last year. The ceremonial signing was delayed from earlier this month because Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides.

The measures won’t kick in right away and still require legislative approval. But they will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will become cheaper in Europe.

The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods sold to the EU. About 94 percent of the tariffs on European exports to Japan will be lifted, rising to 99 percent in the future. The difference reflects exceptions on such products as rice, which enjoys strong political protection from imports in Japan.

Overall, European farmers will benefit, Juncker said, though European consumers will be able to more easily buy luscious Kobe beef and famous Yubari melons.

The EU said the trade liberalization will help raise European exports of chemicals, clothing, cosmetics and beer to Japan. Japanese will get cheaper cheeses, such as Parmesan, gouda and cheddar, as well as chocolate and biscuits.

The imported wine and cheese could hurt sales by Japanese wineries and dairies, but Japanese consumers have historically coveted such European products.

The major step toward liberalizing trade has been discussed since 2013.

Apart from its deal with the EU, Japan is working on other trade agreements, including a far-reaching trans-Pacific deal. The partnership includes Australia, Mexico, Vietnam and other nations, although the U.S. has withdrawn.

Abe praised the deal with the EU for helping his “Abenomics” policies, designed to wrest the economy out of stagnation despite a shrinking population and cautious spending. Japan’s growth remains heavily dependent on exports.</s>YURI KAGEYAMA 

 Tokio, Japan.- The European Union and Japan signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on products they trade.

The ambitious pact signed in Tokyo runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners. It covers a third of the global economy and markets of more than 600 million people.

“The EU and Japan showed an undeterred determination to lead the world as flag-bearers for free trade,” Abe said at a joint news conference with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.”

He said the partnership is being strengthened in various other areas, including defense, climate change and human exchange, and is “sending a clear message” against protectionism. The leaders did not mention Trump by name, but they did little to mask what was on their minds highlighting how Europe and Japan have been pushed closer by Trump’s actions.

The agreement was largely reached late last year. The ceremonial signing was delayed from earlier this month because Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides.

The measures won’t kick in right away and still require legislative approval. But they will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will become cheaper in Europe. The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods sold to the EU.</s>The European Council's President Donald Tusk stated that the trade agreement sealed by Brussels and Tokyo sends a "clear message" against protectionism.

"Together we are making — by signing this agreement — a statement about free and fair trade, we are showing that we are stronger and better off when we work together," he added.

The trade deal was singed earlier in the day at the 25th EU-Japan summit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk. The accord was due to be signed last week during the EU-Japan meeting in Brussels; however, the summit was canceled because of the deadly flooding in Japan.

READ MORE: Brexit Matters: Japan Focuses on Trade Agreement With EU

The deal comes amid a major trade row between Europe and Washington, with US President Donald Trump trying to advance his protectionist stance. In March, the US imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the European Union. The bloc heavily criticized Washington's move and in response, unanimously approved a set of retaliatory tariffs against the US trade duties, including those on whiskey and motorcycles.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hold a summit in Tokyo and sign a deal creating an open trade zone between their states.