Dialogue between European and Japanese Parliamentarians and University Students - “The European Union: Deepening and Enlargement”

On the Wednesday the 18th of May, an event entitled “Dialogue between European and Japanese Parliamentarians and University Students” was held at Keio University’s Mita campus as a part of the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Participants included members of the European Parliamentary delegation, in Tokyo to attend the 26th EU-Japan Interparliamentary Meeting, as well as House of Representatives member, Mr. Taro Nakayama and six other representatives of the Japanese Diet.

President Anzai’s welcome speech was followed by greetings from both the Japanese delegation leader Mr. Nakayama and EP delegation leader Dr. Georg Jarzembowski. Topics of discussion included “The future of the European Constitutional Treaty”, “The enlargement of European integration” and “EU-Japan and Europe-Asia relations”. Students asked a number of incisive questions which led to some surprised laughter from delegates on more than one occasion.

In this relaxed atmosphere, representatives from each delegation gave thought-provoking answers interspersed with anecdotes from their own experiences. The lively discussion continued for two hours with over 100 students, including exchange students, attending the event.