Director of Bilateral Negotiations at the Trade Ministry Johni Martha said that during the negotiation round, Indonesia and the EU maintained a positive momentum, so the results were in line with the set targets.
"We have successfully concluded discussions on several negotiation issues technically and the remaining difficult issues have also begun to be narrowed down," he expounded in a written statement issued by his ministry here on Saturday.
According to him, the two parties have agreed to continue to hold dialogue and look for mutually beneficial solutions, as well as prioritize a pragmatic attitude in negotiations.
A total of 12 issues were discussed in the 17th round of negotiations, including trade in goods, trade in services, investment, cooperation on sustainable food systems, and sustainable trade and development.
They also included rules of origin of goods, energy and raw materials, technical barriers in trade, subsidies, intellectual property, institutional provisions, and anti-fraud clauses.
He expressed the hope that the positive trend seen in the last two rounds of negotiations would continue to be maintained so that the target of the Indonesian President and the President of the European Commission to conclude the IEU-CEPA negotiations in 2024 can be achieved.
"To this end, we continue to encourage increasing the intensity of communication and meetings by the negotiating groups," he added.
IEU-CEPA is a form of trade cooperation between Indonesia and the EU. The 17th round of IEU-CEPA negotiations was held in Bandung, West Java, from February 26, 2024, to March 1.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga said the IEU-CEPA negotiations are expected to be concluded in 2024 before the change in government.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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