COMMISSION REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN EU EXTERNAL TRADE
Earlier this week, the European Commission published a progress report of the second year of implementation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). It details the discussions and outcomes of all the bilateral Committees and Working Group meetings held throughout the second year of implementation, i.e. from 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2021, and reviews the completed and outstanding issues on a chapter by chapter basis.
The report shows that despite a temporary trade reduction in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan was the seventh largest EU trading partner in terms of both exports and imports. Additionally, thanks to increased awareness raising and customs and trade facilitation efforts of both the EU and Japan, there has been significant progress in the utilisation of the tariff preferences stipulated under the EU-Japan EPA in 2020.
As part of its transparency commitment, the European Commission also published a progress report on the latest negotiation round to deepen the existing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with five Eastern and Southern African partners (ESA5): Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe.
Source: European Commission