"Amid global trade uncertainty due to the new tariffs policy from the United States, we see the acceleration of the IEU-CEPA as a strategic step to diversify trading partners and reduce dependence on certain markets," he explained.
He made the remarks while receiving a visit from a delegation of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament, led by Bernd Lange, in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He noted that the EU is Indonesia's main trading and investment partner and has opened access for the country to a wider global market.
The IEU-CEPA is a strategic agreement that aims to open market access, strengthen investment, and encourage sustainable economic growth.
Over the last nine years, 19 rounds of IEU-CEPA negotiations have been carried out. Indonesia is targeting to wrap up the negotiations in the first half of this year.
The agreement is important to increase Indonesia's trade with the European market, including in textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and footwear products.
In addition to pursuing the completion of IEU-CEPA, Pandjaitan said, Indonesia is also committed to trade policy reform and deregulation, in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directive.
The Indonesian government is currently simplifying procedures and reducing economic costs to create a more efficient and competitive business climate, he explained.
Thus, a meeting with the European Parliament marks an important milestone for Indonesia in navigating the increasingly complex global trade landscape.
It also demonstrates the country's readiness to become a major actor in building fair, open, and future-oriented international economic partnerships.
"Indonesia is ready to continue to dialogue and seek mutually beneficial solutions to complete the IEU-CEPA negotiations," Pandjaitan said.
On a separate occasion, Trade Minister Budi Santoso met with the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, Laurent Saint-Martin, to discuss accelerating the completion of the IEU-CEPA.
During the meeting, Santoso sought France's support in encouraging the completion of the negotiations.
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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Primayanti
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