The EU-Japan EPA at Seven: What Has It Delivered?

After 18 rounds of negotiations, the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was agreed in principle in July 2017 and entered into force on 1 February 2019. The agreement has several notable features. First, it reaches deeper than traditional free trade agreements, as it aims to remove structural asymmetries between the two economies. Second, it is one of the first EU trade agreements to explicitly address the UN Sustainable Development Goals and human rights throughout production and supply chains, and it gives priority to financial and digital connectivity. Third, it has opened the door to deeper cooperation in other areas, such as security and the green transition. Several issues nevertheless remain unresolved between the EU and Japan, including rules of origin, trade in services and mechanisms for resolving investment disputes. 

The seminar opens with remarks by Cecilia Malmström, former EU Commissioner for Trade and Elof Hansson Research Fellow. H. Richard Nakamura (University of Gothenburg) and Patrik Ström (European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics) then present the main findings of the evaluation. Jesper Öhrn (West Sweden Chamber of Commerce) and Peter Forssell (Honorary Consul General of Japan in Gothenburg) share their perspectives on business ties between West Sweden and Japan.