Second EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement Progress report published

The European Commission has published its second progress report on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement Facility Instrument, which takes stock of the 2nd year of implementation of the agreement.

Specifically, it details the discussions and outcomes of all the bilateral committees and working group meetings held from 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2021, and provides a detailed overview on selected issues on a chapter by chapter basis.

Such issues include the most noteworthy developments in areas concerning, inter alia, tariff-rate quotas, rules of origin and customs procedures, government procurement, or geographical indications.

The report notes that despite a drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan w