Hartarto, European Parliament delegates discuss IEU-CEPA

Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has discussed accelerating the completion of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) with the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament.

He said that Indonesia and the European Union are aiming to finish the discussions on the substance of the agreement by the end of 2023, according to a press release published on the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs’ website on Wednesday.

Read more: SATRIA-1 to support nationwide digital connectivity: VP Amin

“The implementation of this comprehensive economic agreement is expected to encourage more investment opportunities and increase the trade between the two countries,” he added.

During the meeting held at the coordinating ministry’s headquarters here on Monday (June 19, 2023), the minister also talked about the priorities of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship in the economy sector.

In addition, he expressed appreciation for the European Union’s support for following up on the implementation of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), a cooperation commitment launched by G7 member countries for Indonesia’s energy transition attempts.

Read more: Indonesia continues to push trade cooperation with South Africa

Chair of the Committee on INTA, Bernd Lange, praised the joint mission carried out by Indonesia and Malaysia, supported by the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) — an intergovernmental organization for palm oil-producing countries — at the end of May 2023.

“We welcome the establishment of a consultation mechanism or dialogue platform (such as a task force) between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the European Union to discuss the EUDR (European Union Deforestation-free Regulation) Implementation Guidelines to not burden smallholders,” he said.