The European Union Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Piket stated that the European Union supports the efforts of the East Kalimantan Provincial Government to increase trade and investment. He believes that the New Capital City (IKNB) can attract more foreign investment to East Kalimantan Province in the future. "Foreign investment is currently relatively small in this province, so it offers a lot of room for growth," he said during a visit to East Kalimantan Province to increase understanding of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (IEU-CEPA), Tuesday (26/10). /2021). Vincent said that his party is working with the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan by holding a business meeting to discuss trade and investment opportunities with stakeholders in the province.
"East Kalimantan is one of the largest provinces in Indonesia with wide investment opportunities in sectors such as oil and gas, manufacturing, construction and agriculture and fisheries," he said. Vincent explained that the EU-Indonesia CEPA will help increase trade and investment and contribute to job creation and sustainable economic recovery. "For more than 30 years, the European Union has partnered with Indonesia to enhance trade and investment cooperation. In 2019, the European Union launched the five-year ARISE+ Indonesia Trade Support Facility program worth €15 million. This program provides technical support to the Indonesian government and companies -companies to increase export capacity and to comply with international trade rules and standards," he explained. Meanwhile, the Governor of East Kalimantan, Isran Noor, said that the relationship between Indonesia and the European Union has always been very close and mutually beneficial. “Investment opportunities are wide open for the European Union.
Several potential projects that can be funded by foreign investors include the Malay Batuta Trans Kalimantan Special Economic Zone (KIK) Project in East Kutai Regency, Kariangau Industrial Estate, Balikpapan City Waste Management and the Balikpapan - Penajam Paser Utara Toll Bridge Project, "he said. , Isran said East Kalimantan also has various advantages such as mining and quarrying, oil and gas, processing industry, construction, as well as agriculture and fisheries. Meanwhile, he hopes that this meeting can encourage European investors to invest in East Kalimantan. "Besides investing, we also want to expand opportunities to export to Europe. Therefore, we hope that business players can open up their insights on how to increase trade export potential," he concluded. For information, the meeting also featured a panel discussion discussing the benefits of the CEPA in improving economic relations between EU member countries and Indonesia. On this occasion, the European Union Delegation will also review the candidate for the State Capital, namely North Penajam Paser Regency (PPU). Previously, the European Union had also held a CEPA business visit with the provincial governments of Maluku, Central Java, West Java and South Sumatra.
