EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Ex-Post Evaluation

Purpose & Scope of the study:

• A consortium of independent experts carries out an analysis to support the European Commission in conducting an evidence-based ex-post evaluation of the EU-Japan EPA, after five years of application.
• The evaluation will assess economic, social, environmental, and human-right impacts of the Agreement.
• The current study encompasses desk research and stakeholder consultations, including online seminars for stakeholders from the EU Member States and Japan.
• Stakeholder input (from civil society, business, trade organisations etc.) is essential in gathering feedback about how the Agreement is functioning in practice in the EU Member States and Japan, what works well, where challenges remain, what impacts have been observed, and what can be improved in the future.

Why your participation matters: 

• On-the-ground insights: local / sectoral experiences may differ widely; you or your stakeholders (members) will know things the quantitative analyses might miss.
• Policy relevance: the evaluation building on this study, including on stakeholder feedback, could inform future trade policy, adjustments, or supportive measures.
• Legitimacy: stakeholder feedback strengthens the robustness and acceptability of the evaluation findings.

How to contribute / what to expect: 

• Attend the online seminar for your country (EU Member State or Japan); share your feedback.
• Use the materials provided (newsletter, social media posts, draft speaking points) to reach out to your networks.
• Respond to any pre- or post-seminar questionnaires or surveys.
• Fill in the Online Surveys on the impact of the Agreement: General Survey and Business Survey

Background information about the Agreement:

• The EU-Japan EPA entered into force on 1 February 2019. See more information here.
• The Agreement is one of the EU’s major trade agreements and includes provisions on goods, services, intellectual property, government procurement, non-tariff regulatory measures, transparency, sustainable development, etc. See full text of the Agreement here.
• Trade between the EU and Japan has grown substantially in the five years after the Agreement’s application. See trade snapshots for some EU Member States here.

Key Information / Resources:

• Website: www.eu-japan-evaluation.eu (contains newsletter, project updates, registration links for seminars)
• EPA Helpdesk (EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation) for SMEs: handbooks, webinars, factsheets about how to use EPA, rules of origin, etc. eu-japan.eu

There will be also a seminar for stakesholders from Japan on 13 November 2025. More information can be found in the attachements. 

Registration

• For Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (Nov 5): 
  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jUDoLUgqTNWMrzeaFQv5Jg#/registration
• For Japan (Nov 13): https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DyxNgUYzT-OOLtrPEIYo0Q#/registration

Downloads

• EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Ex-Post Evaluation Agenda
• EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Ex-Post Evaluation Newsletter