Want to know more about exporting European food and beverages to Japan under our tax-exempt EPA trade agreement? Doing business and investing in Japan can be difficult for European companies[14], and there have been some trade disputes between the two sides. However, the slowdown in the Japanese economy has encouraged them to become more open to EU businesses and investment. [2] In efforts to reduce barriers to trade, the emphasis is on opening up investment flows. [1] On 8 December 2017, Japan and the European Union concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement following an agreement in principle concluded in July 2017. [6] “And to use this good, we need to interact with the outside world, and that certainly means free trade and the creation of a more liberalized investment climate. However, some activists questioned whether the EU would be willing to risk trade by insisting on compliance. The EU-Japan EPA is expected to boost trade in goods and services and create many opportunities for EU SMEs: tariffs on more than 90% of Japanese imports from the EU will be eliminated with the entry into force of the EPA. This will affect a wide range of sectors, including agricultural and food products, industrial products (including textiles, clothing, etc.) and forestry and fisheries. In addition, non-tariff barriers to trade in motor vehicles, medical devices and the “quasi-drug” sectors should be significantly reduced. Finally, the agreement will facilitate the export of services to the Japanese market and will affect a significant number of sectors ranging from telecommunications to postal services to the financial sector. The outlook for UK exporters is much less certain. If the UK leaves the EU at the end of March without a deal, it will leave the new free trade area.

Britain`s Department for International Trade said the EU-Japan trade deal would boost Britain`s GDP by up to £3 billion “in the longer term”. Also available at: www.euronews.com/2019/11/01/expanding-trade-with-japan-find-out-how-on-business-planet Japan is about to begin negotiations with the United States on a bilateral trade agreement. Negotiations between the EU and the US are at a standstill, while negotiations between China, Japan and South Korea on a trade deal have yet to result in an agreement. The evolution of trade in goods since 2000 has been characterised by a significant decrease in the EU27`s trade deficit with Japan, due to a significant decline in Japan`s share of total EU imports, from 9.3 % in 2000 to 3.6 % in 2012. Details can be found in the table below:[10] The Japanese government has promised to negotiate an ambitious new free trade agreement with London – but only once the future relationship between the UK and the EU has been established. Delegation of the European Union to Japan:eeas.europa.eu/delegations/japan/56981/eu-japan-economic-partnership-agreement-epa_en The EU has negotiated an Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan. On the 17th. In July 2018, the European Union and Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the largest trade agreement ever negotiated by the EU, which will create an open trade zone for more than 600 million people. If he agrees to a deal, he will remain in the EU-Japan trade deal during the Brexit transition period. The EPA contains “a set of provisions that will simplify trade and investment procedures, reduce export and investment costs, and thus enable more small businesses to do business in both markets. Expected benefits include greater transparency, less stringent technical regulations, compliance requirements, customs procedures and rules of origin, better protection of intellectual property rights and geographical indications, better access to tendering procedures and a dedicated chapter to enable SMEs to maximise the benefits of the EPA. (Source: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan – COM(2018) 192 final) From 2009 to 2019, trade figures became more balanced, with the EU`s trade deficit with Japan increasing from €18 billion in 2009 to €2 billion in 2019.

This and its agreement with the EU mean that Japan has already entered a free trade sphere of one billion people in 2019. In the past, European companies faced trade barriers when exporting to Japan, which sometimes made it difficult for them to compete. Relations between the European Union (EU) and Japan date back to 1959. They maintain close trade relations, particularly in terms of investment flows. [1] [2] About the agreement:ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/eu-japan-economic-partnership-agreement/ In order to raise awareness of the opportunities offered by this agreement and to help EU SMEs take advantage of it, the EU-Japan CENTRE has set up an EPA helpdesk to support and guide EU SMEs in their search for relevant information. . . .