TEMPO.CO, Brussels - Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto announced that the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) is slated for ratification in the third quarter of this year in Jakarta.
He stated that President Prabowo Subianto will meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss IEU-CEPA during his visit to Brussels, Belgium.
The Golkar Party politician noted that IEU-CEPA has been under discussion for 10 years, with more than 19 rounds of negotiations completed. He confirmed that all discussions have concluded, and the agreement now awaits ratification.
"There will be a signing in the third quarter of this year, and it will be in Jakarta. But we are waiting for the announcement from the President. So we are not leaking [the information]," Airlangga said in his official statement from Brussels, Belgium, on July 12, 2025.
Airlangga further mentioned that while the IEU-CEPA negotiations faced no direct obstacles, the geopolitical situation had slightly hindered the process. According to him, Indonesia is considered a strategic partner for Europe due to its ongoing process of joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
"Therefore, we are considered to have started becoming like-minded countries," he added.
Furthermore, Airlangga stated that Europe views Indonesia's economy as continuously growing. In particular, Indonesia's strong role in the ASEAN region is seen as a crucial anchor.
IEU-CEPA negotiations began in 2016 and progressed through 19 rounds of discussions. The initial discussions for this agreement started during the tenure of Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution.
On Friday, March 11, 2016, Darmin led a coordination meeting to prepare a scoping paper, which served as a negotiation reference. This document covered general provisions such as the agreement's objectives, market access, trade facilities, economic cooperation, and capacity improvement.
The first round of negotiations took place on September 20-21, 2016, in Brussels, Belgium. The second round was held in Bali on January 24-27, 2017. Negotiations continued in both Indonesia and various regions across the European Union through numerous subsequent meetings.
Due to the prolonged negotiations, President Joko Widodo or Jokowi formed an acceleration task force, which was announced after a meeting at the Merdeka Palace on January 11, 2023. The government had initially targeted the completion of IEU-CEPA in 2024, before the end of President Jokowi's term. However, the agreement was not finalized before his tenure concluded.
Ilona Estherina contributed to the report
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