EU/Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

2018/0091(NLE)

PURPOSE: to approve the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2018/1907 on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership.

CONTENT: the Council approved the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership.

The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was signed on 17 July 2018. The objectives of the agreement are to liberalise and facilitate trade and investment and to promote closer economic relations between the Parties.

The EPA is a comprehensive and ambitious trade agreement which, when fully implemented, will remove 99% of EU tariff lines and 97% of Japanese tariff lines.

The agreement will create new opportunities for EU agricultural exports by removing existing Japanese tariffs on products such as cheese or wine, while protecting EU intellectual property rights on Japanese markets. It will also open up services markets and significantly increase EU companies' access to Japanese public procurement markets.

The EPA is based on the highest standards of labour, safety, environment and consumer protection. It includes a specific commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the chapters on corporate governance and SMEs. It fully respects regulatory law and protects public services.

In order to ensure an efficient operation of the wine export facilitation system provided for in the Agreement, the Commission should be authorised to temporarily suspend the acceptance of self-certification of wine products as set out in the Agreement. The Commission should also be authorised to terminate that temporary suspension on behalf of the Union;

Modifications of Annex 14-A and Annex 14-B to the Agreement through decisions of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement, following recommendations of the Committee on Intellectual Property established by the Agreement, shall be approved by the Commission on behalf of the Union. Where interested parties cannot reach an agreement following objections relating to a geographical indication, the Commission shall adopt a position on the basis of the procedure laid down in Article 57(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality systems for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 20.12.2018.