Special Focus: EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

Topics:

Of the 20 most exported EU Processed Agricultural Products to Japan, important products such as mineral waters, cocoa powder, pectic substances, spirits, yeast and caseinates were liberalised at the entry into force of the Agreement. Others such as uncooked spaghetti, esterified starches, food preparations without added sugar and without more than 30% milk food preparation (such as tariff line 2106.90.299), chocolate confectionary and other food preparations containing cocoa, candies and biscuits, cookies and crackers will be liberalised within 5 or 10 years. To read more, please click on the link below: 

EPA & Processed Agricultural Products (PAPs)

Owning an invention, patents or a trade mark leads to protect Intellectual Property. Once protected, the owner becomes the only person with the right to use or to produce the protected good. Others cannot copy or reproduce what you have done without permission. When an invention is protected, the quality of the product is guaranteed and its origin is clear. The EU-Japan EPA offers important market access opportunities for EU products, especially through the recognition of several geographical indications. The EPA also covers many different aspects of intellectual property protection, from patents to copyright, trade secrets, and common measures built on the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. To find out more, please see below: 

EPA & Intellectual Property Rights

Origin is the ‘economic’ nationality of goods traded in commerce. It is the origin that determines the duties and taxes apply to a product when exported abroad. The EU-Japan EPA, which recently entered into force, has established new provisions regarding the Rules of Origin. It is necessary for EU companies to determine whether their products are considered sufficiently linked to their country to benefit from preferential rates of duties under the EU-Japan EPA. For further reading, click below: 

EPA & Rules of Origin

Publications:

The aim of the factsheet "EPA Processed Agricultural Products (PAPs)" is to explain to EU PAPs exporters the market access opportunities offered by the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as well as, in a brief overview, the relevant Rules of Origin and import procedures in Japan. To access the factsheet, please click below:

Factsheet: EPA Processed Agricultural Products (PAPs)

The aim of the Factsheet "EPA & Intellectual Property Rights" is to explain to European companies how they can leverage the EPA to their advantage when interested in approaching the Japanese market. This factsheet focuses on the main IPR topics included in Chapter 14 of the Agreement and covering a number of specific points, such as Copyright, Trademarks, Patents extension or Trade Secrets. It then analyses the provisions of the EPA, and the important changes coming after the entry into force of the agreement. Finally, the facsheet comments the challenges possibly faced by SMEs. To read more, please click below:

Factsheet: EPA & Intellectual Property Rights

The guideline titled "Export Food to Japan - Export-to-sales Process, Procedures & Planning" serves a practical guide to the export-to-sales process, procedures and planning for EU agri-food products to Japan. It presents research and interview contents with flowcharts, explanatory notes and links to relevant documents and information sources. For further reading, please see below

Guideline: Export Food to Japan

Past Webinars:

The EPA offers important market access opportunities for EU exporters of wines and spirits & beers to Japan as these products can now duty free in Japan. The EPA furthermore guarantees registration and protection of certain EU geographical indications related to these products, as well as acceptance of most of the EU’s oenological practices for wines. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Preferences on Wines and Spirits & Beers and its related materials, please click on the following link:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 3: EPA Preferences on Wines and Spirits & Beers

The EPA guarantees registration and protection for more than 200 EU GIs for wines and spirits and food-stuffs, including beers, and the possibility to add new GIs in the future. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Provisions on Geographical Indications and its related materials, please see below:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 4: EPA Provisions on Geographical Indications

The EPA offers important market access opportunities for EU dairy exporters to Japan.  Duties will be gradually phased out for hard cheeses and a tariff quota will allow for duty free access as from 1/4/2033 for fresh cheeses.  Import market access improvement also for other dairy products such as butter, whey products and skimmed milk powder. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Preferences on Dairy Products and its related materials, please click below: 

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 5: EPA Preferences on Dairy Products

Important market access opportunities are open through the EU-Japan EPA for EU meat exporters. Duties will be gradually phased out for pork meat and processed pork meat, as well as for poultry meat.  For beef meat duties will reduced from almost 40 to 9% over 15 years. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Preferences on Meat Products and its related materials, please click here: 

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 6: EPA Preferences on Meat Products

Duties will be eliminated for Processed Agricultural Products at the entry into force of the Agreement for important products such as mineral waters, cigarettes, cocoa powder, pectic substances, spirits, yeast and caseinates. For other products such as uncooked spaghetti, esterified starches, food preparations, duties will be eliminated over periods between 6 to 11 years. Sizeable tariff quotas are provided for other PAPs such as wheat flours, food preparations related to wheat and barley and coffee preparations. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Preferences on Processed Agricultural Products and its related materials, please click here:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 7: EPA Preferences on Processed Agricultural Products

The EPA pave the way for opportunities in the realm of IPRs, especially thanks to the recognition of several geographical indications (GIs). But the EPA is not only about GIs, in fact, the text of the Agreement between the EU and Japan is covering many different aspects of intellectual property protection, from patents to copyright, trade secrets, and common measures built on the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. To access the recording of our webinar on Intellectual Property Rights and its related materials, please go below:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 9: Intellectual Property Rights

Even if you already export to some FTA-countries, you will need specific information if you intend to have trade with Japan as the EU-Japan EPA is very different from the other trade agreements concluded by the EU. This presentation will present you what to start with, and will put the focus on the main differences with former agreements. In addition, this webinar will analyse the best and the easiest way to put into practice the EU-Japan EPA and will also provide some useful links with trustworthy information. To access the recording of our webinar EPA Overview & Rules of Origin and its related materials, please click on the following link:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 10: Rules of Origin

This webinar deals with professional services (architects, accountants, engineers, lawyers, doctors & nurses, etc.) providers that want to export or do business in Japan, either through electronic commerce, temporary mobility in Japan, or through local investment via the establishment of an office or a n-joint venture with a local partner.  This webinar looks at the provision in the agreement for all these issues. In particular, it explains what the agreement contains as obligation for the Japanese Government and sector specific regulatory bodies in terms of transparency of the legislation and regulation. To access the recording of our webinar Services Domestic Regulations and Mutual Recognition Agreement and its related materials, please click below:

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 11: Services Domestic Regulations and Mutual Recognition Agreement