As a follow-up to the Joint Mission of Indonesia and Malaysia to the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs received a visit from the Committee for International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament to discuss the future plans of the joint mission and the acceleration of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA). During the discussion on digital trade, it was explained that one of Indonesia's priorities in the digital sector is through the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), as the hope is that the digital trade platform can be a driving force for inclusive economic growth and support small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in global trade.
This meeting also reiterated the commitment of both Heads of State to accelerate the conclusion of the IEU-CEPA negotiations, with a target to complete substantive discussions by the end of 2023. The acceleration of the IEU-CEPA negotiation process depends on the alignment of views and positions from both parties. It is hoped that the implementation of this comprehensive economic agreement will open up broader investment opportunities and increase trade volume. On the other hand, the INTA Committee of the European Parliament appreciated the joint mission carried out by Indonesia and Malaysia under the framework of the Joint Mission facilitated by the CPOPC in late May. Other issues discussed included halal certification, the experience of the pharmaceutical industry in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussions on government procurement practices both in Indonesia and the European Union.
