According to reporting from Antara News, President Jokowi has expressed hope that negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) can be completed by next year at the latest.
He conveyed this during a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Grand Prince Hotel, Hiroshima, Japan, on Sunday, as part of the G7 Outreach Summit 2023.
According to a statement from Jokowi’s office, the two leaders share the same view on the importance of completing the Indonesia-EU CEPA negotiations immediately, say Antara News.
Regarding the EU’s deforestation regulations, he said that from the beginning of the discussion, Indonesia had raised objections to the regulation.
Jokowi said the regulation could hinder trade and harm small farmers in Indonesia.
“The benchmarking process with a cut-off date starting in 2020 must be completely open and objective,” he stated.
Indonesia’s deforestation rate in 2019-2020 had fallen by 75-percent to 115,000- hectares. This is the lowest rate since 1990 and continues to decline, he said.
Jokowi also said that Indonesia and Malaysia would carry out a joint mission to Brussels, Belgium, to resubmit objections to various EU regulations that are detrimental, report Antara News.
The two countries will also present concrete data, which is expected to provide suggestions to the EU and be used as material for creating objective policies.
During the meeting, President Jokowi was accompanied by some cabinet ministers, including Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto.
Source: Antara News, HO-Presidential Secretariat
