Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga to Paris and Brussels, Pursuing the OECD and the Ratification of the RI-EU Trade Agreement

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has two major agendas during a working visit to Paris and Brussels on June 3-5, 2026. Indonesia wants to accelerate the process of joining the OECD while overseeing the ratification of trade cooperation with the European Union.

In Paris, Airlangga will attend the 2026 OECD Ministerial Meeting. He is present as the Executive Chairman of the National Team for OECD Accession. Accession means the official process of a country to become a member of an international organization.

The OECD is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Paris-based organization is often referred to as the "club of developed countries" because it is made up of countries with high standards in economics, investment, governance, education, and regulation.

The process of Indonesia's accession to the OECD has been running for two years since receiving the Accession Roadmap in 2024. In 2025, Indonesia has also submitted the Initial Memorandum, which is an initial assessment document on the appropriateness of national policies with OECD standards.

Now the process is in the technical review stage. OECD and member countries will collect data, send questionnaires, conduct fact-finding missions, and compile studies on Indonesian policies and regulations.

The results will be discussed in various OECD Committees. From there, Indonesia will receive policy improvement recommendations. So this is not just a matter of diplomacy. Many domestic rules are also examined.

Airlangga coordinated more than 60 stakeholders, ranging from ministries, institutions, business associations, labor unions, academics, to community organizations.

This process includes 25 OECD Committees. The field is wide, from investment, trade, business competition, fiscal, government, anti-corruption, environment, digital economy, health, education, to employment.

Indonesia is of interest because it is the first Southeast Asian country to undergo the OECD accession process. According to the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, many member countries offer cooperation and technical assistance to support the process.

"We must use this momentum to make more countries support and accelerate Indonesia's membership," said Airlangga, quoted from an official statement from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Wednesday, June 3.

At the OECD forum, Indonesia will bring up the issue of downstream processing as one of the key policies. Downstream processing is intended to create added value, absorb quality labor, and strengthen the national economic structure.

Airlangga is also scheduled to be the keynote speaker in a session on the balance of industrial policy, open markets, and welfare.

To strengthen support, Airlangga will hold bilateral meetings with ministers from more than eight countries, including Australia, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Thailand. He will also meet with Business at OECD or BIAC, a business group that is a partner of the OECD.

After Paris, Airlangga continued his visit to Brussels, Belgium, on June 5. There, he is scheduled to speak at the Brussels Economic Security Forum 2026 and meet with the European Union Commissioner.

The forum brought together industry leaders, EU policymakers, member states, and global partners to discuss economic security issues and geoeconomic challenges.

An important agenda in Brussels is to oversee the ratification of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or I-EU CEPA. This agreement was agreed by President Prabowo in July 2025.

I-EU CEPA is a comprehensive economic cooperation between Indonesia and the European Union. Its contents relate to market access, trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

If the ratification goes smoothly, this agreement is expected to come into force immediately and open greater access for Indonesian products and business actors to the EU market.

This visit shows that Indonesia's foreign economic agenda is moving in two directions. One path leads to the OECD, which is known for its strict economic and governance standards. Another path expands export markets through trade agreements with the European Union.

Airlangga was accompanied by the Secretary of the Economy, Susiwijono Moegiarso, and the Deputy for International Economic Cooperation and Investment, Edi Prio Pambudi.