The European Commission 5th Annual Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Policy provides an update of what was done to implement and enforce international trade commitments, and the main results achieved, in 2024 and the first half of 2025.
Main takeaways related to Japan
EU exports to Japan since the entry into force of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in 2019 have grown by an estimated EUR 267 million. Sectors which have benefited include wine, drinks and processed agricultural products, animal products (except pigmeat), arable crops and plant-based products. EU agri-food exports to Japan rose by EUR 1 billion (+15%) since 2019.
Following bilateral engagement supported by the EU-Japan EPA, Japan revised its list of safe food additives in a way that protected the interests of EU exporters. In 2024, Japan confirmed that 33 additives widely used in the EU would remain on its list, emphasising the EU’s reputation for providing high-quality and safe food products.
The EU’s largest preferential partners were the UK (21.8% of EU trade with preferential partners), followed by Switzerland (14.2%), Türkiye (9.1%), Norway (6.9%), Japan (5.6%) and South Korea (5.3%). Together, these six partners accounted for 63% of EU preferential trade in 2024.
The EU and Japan stepped up their cooperation under the Green Alliance on issues such as carbon pricing, offshore wind power and carbon capture, and utilisation.
On 20 September 2024, the EU and Japanese SME Contact Points held their fourth meeting under the EPA, which was followed up by a separate meeting on 11 November 2024 in Brussels. Both sides reported on their latest initiatives to implement the information-sharing provisions under the EPA and on other activities to encourage more SMEs to take advantage of the EPA. In addition, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation continued to play a key role in supporting SMEs.
Source: European Commission
Published: December 2025