The Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) announced that the signing of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) is targeted for the fourth quarter of this year. "So, hopefully, we're targeting the signing of the agreement in the fourth quarter of 2026," said Basaria Tiara Desika L. Gaol, Director of Bilateral Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade's Directorate General of International Trade Negotiations, or Tiara, in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Tiara explained that the IEU-CEPA had already been signed last year between Indonesia and the European Union (EU). Indonesia was represented at the time by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who substantially agreed to the contents of the IEU-CEPA. Consequently, it was substantially concluded in September 2025. From there, the legal scrubbing process was carried out, which has now been completed. Thus, it is hoped that the signing of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) is targeted for the fourth quarter of this year. "The signing ceremony will be attended by ministers from both sides, witnessed by the highest leaders of both the EU and Indonesia. After that, we will enter the ratification process," said Tiara.
He continued, hoping the ratification process can be completed quickly so that by the first quarter of 2027, the entire process can be completed and ready for implementation (entry into force) to directly benefit the business world. Previously, the Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Susiwijono Moegiarso, confirmed that the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) would come into force on January 1, 2027.
The government is optimistic that the ratification process can be completed on time, allowing the agreement to be implemented immediately. Susiwijono believes the implementation of the IEU-CEPA will open broader market access for Indonesian products and increase competitiveness in the global market. On the other hand, competing countries are also said to be preparing for the impact of the IEU-CEPA, so Indonesia needs to optimally capitalize on this momentum. Susiwijono hopes that the implementation of the IEU-CEPA will increase optimism among industry players, particularly the manufacturing sector, to play a greater role in driving economic growth. The IEU-CEPA negotiations have been ongoing for almost a decade. Official negotiations began in September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium, and have gone through 19 rounds of negotiations, reaching a substantial agreement in Bali in September 2025.
