Negotiations Indonesia and Canada conclude the First Round of Negotiations on the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) in Bandung, West Java, with the Director-General of International Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, as Chief Negotiator for Indonesia. The ICA-CEPA negotiations are a tangible manifestation of the commitment of the two countries with the hope that the establishment of trade cooperation can provide various benefits and increase trade and investment opportunities for business actors from Indonesia and Canada as a whole, "said Director General of International Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono in a statement received in Bandarlampung, Sunday.
Negotiations for Global Affairs Arun Alexander as Chief Negotiator for Canada The negotiations were held after the Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi, together with the Canadian Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade, Mary Ng, inaugurated the Virtual Launch of the ICA-CEPA Negotiations on June 21, 2021. Overall, the ICA-CEPA negotiations included discussions that were divided into 17 working groups and 3 expert-level discussions. The working groups are: trade in goods, trade in services, digital trade, legal provisions and institutional issues, trade security, provisions on the origin of goods, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitation and phytosanitary, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures (STRAP), good regulatory practices, investment, intellectual property, economic and technical cooperation, government procurement, transparency, competition, and dispute resolution. As for the expert level discussion, discussions were held on inclusive trade, labor, and the environment. In this first round of negotiations, negotiators from the two countries focused on exchanging views on national policies and understanding each other's position on negotiating issues in general.
"It is targeted that the ICA-CEPA negotiations be completed by the end of 2023. Therefore, negotiators from the two countries are advised to immediately schedule an intercession meeting before the 2nd Round of Negotiations and agree on several follow-up steps for today's negotiations, "concluded Djatmiko. Currently, Indonesia only has one trade agreement on the American continent, namely with Chile, which is located in the South American region. Therefore, the ICA-CEPA negotiations are expected to be the entry point for Indonesia's export products to other North American regions, namely the United States and Mexico, considering that Canada has a trade agreement with the two countries. In addition to access to the goods market, this negotiation also aims to increase Indonesia's trade in services exports, invite foreign investment to Indonesia, and encourage cooperation in priority sectors, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM).
Source: https://m.antaranews.com/berita/2771761/indonesia-kanada-selesaikan-perundingan-pertama-ica-cepa
