The Effects of EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement for Poland’s Economy

Abstract

The article analyzes the impact of the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Poland’s economy. The authors investigate the effects of a bilateral elimination of customs duties on the economy using the Computable General Equilibrium framework and the GTAP database. The impact of the bilateral elimination of customs duties on GDP, production, trade and social welfare in Poland is examined and compared with other countries and regions. According to the research results, the EPA will bring positive impact on many aspects of Polish economy, but the effects in some other areas may be negative. Positive production and trade results are expected in some sectors, such as meat and animal products, leather and processed food, but some other sectors, such as motor vehicles and transport equipment, electronics and machinery, may experience a drop in output and export volumes. Total export value gains for Poland are estimated to be about USD 135 million, but in most sectors production will decrease, which may cause a loss in the real GDP.