Indonesia Accelerates IEU-CEPA Trade Deal with EU; EU Leaders Plan Indonesia Visit

President Prabowo Subianto has called for the swift finalization of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA). The agreement's documentation is currently being prepared for submission to the parliaments of both parties. Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto stated that the directive was conveyed by the President during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 22. "The President also asked that the IEU-CEPA be immediately completed," said Airlangga. The current process involves the preparation of English-language documents for presentation to the European Parliament. Following this, the Indonesian government will proceed with its domestic mechanisms to bring the agreement before the House of Representatives (DPR) for ratification or approval. IEU-CEPA is a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between Indonesia and the European Union, encompassing trade and investment cooperation. Airlangga mentioned that European Union Commissioner Maros Sefcovic also plans to visit Indonesia as part of this process. Furthermore, a visit by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Indonesia is anticipated in late October or early November. However, Airlangga has not yet provided specific dates for the visits of these two EU officials or the timeline for completing all ratification stages. The push to accelerate IEU-CEPA was discussed in a meeting that also addressed the strengthening of the national textile and textile products industry. Source: VOI English