The JDK Enhancement Proposal (or JEP) is a process drafted by Oracle Corporation for collecting proposals for enhancements to the Java Development Kit and OpenJDK. [1]
According to Oracle, JEPs "serve as the long-term Roadmap for JDK Release Projects and related efforts". [1]
The JEP process is not intended to replace the Java Community Process, which is still required to approve changes in the Java API or language but rather to allow for OpenJDK committers to work more informally before becoming a formal Java Specification Request. [1] [2] [3]
The primary goal of this process is to produce a regularly updated list of proposals to serve as the long-term Roadmap for JDK Release Projects and related efforts
What JEP is not: it is not a "suggestion box" for drive-by requests. The JEP process is open to JDK *committers*, and it is unlikely a JEP will gain funding if the author is not prepared to contribute significant effort to the project's implementation or stewardship.