In an effort to support Indonesia's economic recovery, which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to make various breakthroughs. "One of the Ministry's efforts in this regard is the initiative to implement the Indonesia-Central and Eastern Europe Business Forum (INACEE Business Forum) on October 7, 2021," said the Director General of America and Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ngurah Swajaya, when opening the Webinar with the theme Penetrating the European Market. Central and East, in Jakarta, Monday (27/09/2021).
Ngurah Swajaya also said that the cooperation between Indonesia and Central and Eastern Europe has great potential, especially in the fields of trade, investment and tourism. "With a population of 408 million people, the area is a non-traditional market and a gateway for Indonesian products to other regions, such as Western Europe and Central Asia," he added. The great enthusiasm of Indonesian business actors can be seen from the active participation of more than 250 participants from various circles, including MSMEs, Ministries/Institutions, and academics. The Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade, Didi Sumedi, also gave a speech and invited business actors to take advantage of various facilities and training for exporters.
The existence of a digital economy platform such as INA-ACCESS provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is seen as an efficient place for business interaction, especially to get around travel restrictions during the pandemic. The digital platform can be used for free by Indonesian business actors to promote their products abroad, especially in Europe and America. This platform can also be used to build networks and conduct virtual meetings with businesses around the world. The stretch of economic improvement itself has begun to be seen, even though the Covid-19 pandemic is still not over.
In the January-July 2021 period, the value of Indonesia's trade with 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe showed a significant increase. Compared to the same period in 2020, there was an increase of more than USD 4.3 billion or equivalent to 25 percent with and a surplus on the Indonesian side. Indonesia's largest trading partners are Russia, Turkey and Poland. Meanwhile, Indonesia's exports to the region amounted to USD 2.8 billion, up more than 52 percent from the same period in 2020. Indonesia's leading export products to the region are palm oil, fishery products, coffee, footwear, furniture, and rubber. .
The webinar was hosted by moderator Ida Bagus Made Bimantara, Director of Europe I of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and presented speakers, namely Director of Europe II of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Winardi Hanafi Lucky Heryono Hadi Prasetyo, Head of the Indonesian Export Education and Training Center, Ministry of Trade, and Sulaiman Saleh, Committee Eastern Europe Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The speakers called on business actors to be brave in exporting, to be aggressive exporters, and to realize market opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe. The informants also noted that one of the current export challenges is logistics problems, such as the scarcity of containers due to the impact of the pandemic.
The webinar was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Export Training and Education Center of the Ministry of Trade, with the aim of providing information to business actors and the Indonesian public in general about the opportunities and challenges of penetrating the Central and Eastern European markets.
