Report on the EU-Japan EPA’s impact

An Ex-Post Evaluation impact report commissioned by the European commission was released in May 2026 following a 1 year and half long research. 
Overall, the analysis suggests that the EU–Japan EPA has largely achieved its core economic objectives, particularly in terms of tariff liberalisation, trade expansion, enhanced economic relationship, protection of intellectual property rights, and macroeconomic gains. However, while progress has been significant overall, it has been uneven across policy areas, with some objectives not having been fully met (e.g. on regulatory aspects affecting trade in goods, SME engagement, and trade in services) and some having been only partially realised (e.g. in investment flows, government procurement participation, and the utilisation of trade preferences). Moreover, while the Agreement has also recorded positive sustainability-related results, there is room for improvement and further dialogue and cooperation, notably in the environmental area, within the EPA and other existing forums.

The Agreement has increasingly served as a platform for cooperation on wider economic and sustainability issues, including industrial policy, supply-chain resilience, digital transformation and economic security. It has thus become one of the pillars of a broader partnership between the EU and Japan, alongside initiatives such as the High-Level Economic Dialogue, the EU-Japan Green Alliance, the High-Level Dialogue on Environment, the Working Group on the Circular Economy, the Digital Partnership, the Informal Dialogue on Consumer Policy and bilateral symposia on labour-related issues. 
The Agreement has generated positive macroeconomic effects for both Parties. Economic modelling indicates that the EPA increased EU GDP by approximately €13bn annually and Japanese GDP by around €23.6bn annually.
The complete +250 pages report and annexes are available online. The Executive Summary can be downloaded directly here. 

Source: European Commission
https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/analysis-and-assessment/ex-post-evaluations_en 

Published: June 2026