Prabowo asks Germany for support to speed up trade agreement with the European Union

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto has asked Germany to take a more active role to accelerate the completion of the Indonesia-European Union trade agreement or the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) which has been negotiated for years.

The request was conveyed by Prabowo when receiving a state visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday, June 15.

In the midst of global economic uncertainty and increasingly intense international trade competition, Indonesia views economic cooperation with Europe as one of the strategic steps to expand markets and attract quality investments.

Prabowo said Indonesia and Germany agreed to increase trade and investment volumes that would benefit both countries.

He hopes that Germany can play an important role in the process of finalizing the agreement at the EU internal level so that IEU-CEPA can immediately provide real benefits for business actors.

"We hope that Germany will continue to play an active role in the process of finalizing internal agreements in Europe, so that it can immediately provide concrete benefits for businesses in both countries," said Prabowo.

According to Prabowo, strengthening economic partnerships is one of the main agendas of the relationship between Indonesia and Germany, in addition to cooperation in the fields of energy transition, education, and employment.

Steinmeier's visit also became a momentum leading up to the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Germany in 2027.

When completed, IEU-CEPA is expected to open wider market access for Indonesian products to the European region while strengthening investment flows from EU countries.