Indonesia and the European Union successfully discussed 14 trade and investment issues in the first week of the 11th round of the Indonesia–European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU–CEPA) negotiations on Friday (12/11). Director General of International Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono said the entire series of 11th round of IEU-CEPA negotiations itself took place in a hybrid manner on 8-19 November 2021. The second week of 11th round of negotiations will continue from Monday (15/11). The two sides have agreed to explore intercession meetings before 2021 ends. "Both parties agreed to push for the completion of the negotiations as soon as possible, and to give the negotiators a mandate to make progress on this 11th round," Djatmiko said in his official statement, Monday (15/11).

The Indonesian delegation was led by the Chair of the Indonesian Negotiating Group, Iman Pambagyo, while the Chair of the EU Negotiator was the Directorate General for Trade, European Commission Filip Deraedt. Iman said, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the two parties continued to strive to make progress in negotiations, especially on issues of a technical nature and were close to reaching an agreement. In this round, the two parties succeeded in technically agreeing on the issue of sanitation and phytosanity or plant quarantine for agricultural commodities. In general, the two parties also made progress in discussing the texts of the various issues discussed.

There are 14 issues being negotiated in this round of negotiations, namely trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition, provisions on origin of goods, technical barriers to trade. Then, sanitation and phytosanitary, trade security instruments, trade and sustainable development, small and medium enterprises, and economic cooperation and capacity building. Also, government procurement, dispute resolution, as well as transparency and good regulatory practice. The 11th round of negotiations is a continuation of the 10th round of negotiations which was held virtually on 22 February–5 March 2021. The 11th round of negotiations was supposed to be held in July 2021, but was delayed due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in Indonesia. The IEU-CEPA negotiations were launched on July 18, 2016 and are the most comprehensive bilateral trade agreement negotiations conducted by Indonesia with its partner countries. The implementation of the IEU-CEPA, which is supported by the Job Creation Law, is expected to increase market access for goods, services, investment, and improve Indonesia's competitive economy.

For information, the European Union is the third largest export destination and origin of non-oil and gas imports for Indonesia in 2020. The total value of Indonesia-EU trade reaches US$ 25.5 billion (Rp 362 trillion) with Indonesia's export value to the European Union amounting to US$ 14.4 billion (Rp 204 trillion) and Indonesia's imports from the European Union US$ 11.1 billion (Rp 157 trillion). Indonesia's mainstay export commodities to the European Union in 2020 are palm oil and its fractions, industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, footwear with rubber soles, plastics, leather and fabrics, and natural rubber. Meanwhile, Indonesia's main import commodities from the European Union in 2020 are medicines, machine tools for washing dishes, electrical devices for telephone networks, turbo jets, turbo boosters, and other gas turbines, as well as instruments and applications for medical, surgical, and medical purposes, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.

Sources: https://katadata.co.id/rezzaaji/berita/61932068cf532/indonesia-dan-uni-eropa-bahas-14-isu-dalam-perundingan-ieu-cepa