Updates on EU-Japan FTA from DG Trade Head of Unit Far East

The European Council has published the directives given to the European Commission to negotiate a trade agreement with Japan on 14 September.

In 2012, the European Council gave a mandate to the European Commission to start trade negotiations with Japan. At the EU-Japan summit in July 2017, both parties reached agreement in principle on the main elements of a free trade deal, known as the economic partnership agreement (EPA). The EPA is a highly ambitious and comprehensive trade agreement. When fully implemented, 99 per cent of the tariffs applied on EU exports to Japan, which currently amount to about €1 billion, will be removed. The agreement will create sizeable new opportunities for EU agricultural exports, while protecting high quality EU food and drink products and intellectual property rights on Japanese markets. It will also open up services markets and significantly increase EU companies’ access to Japan’s procurement bids.

Philippe Duponteil, Head of Unit Far East at the Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission, will brief Asia House corporate members on the current status of the EU FTAs with Japan and will give a broader outline of EU FTAs with other East Asian countries.