Leaders from the EU and Japan are meeting on Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, where they are expected to announce a political agreement on a future trade deal, following several weeks of round-the-clock negotiations to bring the talks to this advanced stage. EU Council President Donald Tusk confirmed the summit plans on Tuesday 4 July, issuing a brief statement on social media site Twitter that announced both the date and affirmed that an “ambitious free and fair trade deal [is] in the making.” A follow-up announcement confirmed that the two sides are also slated to reach a “ strategic partnership agreement ” on Thursday, which is another ongoing initiative aimed at facilitating collaboration on environmental issues, along with security, climate change, and other select priorities. The EU Council President will be joined by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday, with other topics on the docket including a discussion on their continued support for the UN’s Paris Agreement on climate change. A political agreement on trade would confirm the framework and many of the components of the future accord, while leaving final technical details remaining – including potentially some of the more sensitive issues. Those...