Three European Commissioners travel to Indonesia to participate in G20 Ministerial Meetings

The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, the European Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius and the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will visit Indonesia between 28 August and 6 September 2022 to participate in the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting (JECMM) and/or the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting (ETMM) in Bali – held in the framework of Indonesia’s G20 Presidency under the theme ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’.

The meetings take place at a time when the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbated by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, hence the importance to address environmental protection, the fight against climate change and energy security challenges.

The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius will be in Jakarta and Bali from 28 August to 1 September 2022. In Jakarta, Commissioner Sinkevičius will have a number of meetings with relevant Indonesian Ministers and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. He will also have meetings with palm oil and forestry stakeholders, visit a mangrove park and hold a roundtable dialogue on the future of biodiversity with Indonesian environmental groups. In Bali, Commissioner Sinkevičius will participate in the G20 JECMM and hold several bilateral meetings with Environment and Climate Ministers from G20 countries on the margins of the JECMM.

The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans will be in Bali from 30 August to 3 September 2022. Together with Commissioner Sinkevičius, Executive Vice-President Timmermans will take part in the G20 JECMM which aims to encourage cooperation that will revive multilateralism in enhancing global environmental protection and climate objectives. Together with Commissioner Simson, the Executive Vice-President will also participate in the G20 ETMM which aims to enhance further collaboration through dialogue to encourage the energy transitions development.

The European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will be in Bali, Balikpapan and Jakarta from 1 to 6 September 2022. In Bali, Commissioner Simson will participate in the G20 ETMM and hold several bilateral meetings with Energy Ministers of G20 countries in the sidelines of the ETMM. Commissioner Simson will then travel to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province for a visit to a coal mining site. Coal contributes to one-third of the economy of the province, and Commissioner Simson will discuss with local stakeholders on Europe’s experience in clean energy transition. In Jakarta, Commissioner Simson will use the opportunity to meet with a range of interlocutors, including relevant Indonesian Ministers and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, as well as with representatives of the private sector, think tanks and civil society working on and interested in energy transition.