Joint Press Release: Indonesia and the European Union advance their broad bilateral agenda
Indonesia and the European Union (EU) held the fourth Joint Committee on 4 February 2020. The meeting reviewed the on-going bilateral cooperation under the Indonesia-European Union Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and discussed possible future cooperation initiatives.
The agenda of the Joint Committee covered a broad range of topics including recent political and economic developments in Indonesia and in the EU, the implementation of the PCA, sectoral cooperation in a number of areas, and EU-ASEAN relations.
Indonesia and the EU acknowledged their close cooperation, which has grown considerably since the PCA came into force in 2014 and reaffirmed their strong will to strengthen it further, as well as to work together to contribute to global peace and security guided by their common values.
During the Human Rights Dialogue held in Brussels on 8th November 2019, both delegations discussed a wide range of topics of mutual interest and concern in an open and constructive manner, ranging from access to justice to international humanitarian law, from rights of people belonging to minorities/vulnerable groups to freedom of expression and freedom of association and peaceful assembly and Cooperation in the UN and other multilateral fora, notably in consideration of Indonesia’s Human Rights Council membership for the triennium 2020-2022. Last year, for the first time, the Dialogue was preceded by an EU-Indonesia Civil Society Organisations Forum, underlining the mutual acknowledgement that civil society is a key partner.
The fourth Security Policy Dialogue that took place in Brussels on 12 November 2019 confirmed the growing bilateral engagement on security-related matters covering inter alia counter-terrorism, crisis management and peacekeeping, maritime security, transnational organised crime, cybersecurity and disaster preparedness.
The Working Group on Trade and Investment (held in Brussels on 30 January 2019) reviewed the trends in bilateral trade and investment and the growing list of bilateral trade issues. The EU welcomed the Indonesian commitment to liberalise its legal and regulatory framework for business and investment. In this respect, both sides have raised their respective trade issues, and pledged their commitment to work together towards their solution. Both parties acknowledged the progress made in 2019 in the framework of the Indonesia–EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. Indonesia and the EU recognised the transformative character of the Agreement that, once in force, will unlock the potential of their economic relationship. The 10th round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in March 2020 in Indonesia.
The Working Group on Development Cooperation (held in Jakarta on 21 February 2019) reviewed EU funded projects supporting inter alia Indonesia`s green infrastructure investments, smart climate-resilient cities initiatives, projects for peatland protection and haze mitigation, marine biodiversity and support to the Coral Triangle's initiative.
Indonesia and the EU reiterated their commitment, both being major parties to the Paris Agreement, to enhance and accelerate their cooperation in the field of environment, natural resources, climate action, forest legality, and circular economy. They discussed the challenges ahead for a successful United Nations Conference of Parties to be held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in November 2020. Both sides also exchanged views on the upcoming Convention of Biodiversity Conference (CBD) COP15 in October in Kunming, China, that will adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. They also agreed to hold the 2020 meeting of the Working Group of Environment and Climate Change as soon as possible in Jakarta. The EU outlined the objectives of the European Green Deal and expressed the wish to cooperate with Indonesia in this context.
Both parties exchanged views on their respective connectivity policies and priorities and acknowledged the important role connectivity can play in the advancement of decarbonisation, environmental protection, digitalisation, fair competition, investment promotion, innovation.
On the migration agenda, Indonesia reiterated its wish for visa-free access to the EU. The EU noted that the revised Visa Code applicable since 2 February 2020 simplifies the issuance of short-term visa to the Schengen area.
As palm oil remains a sensitive topic for Indonesia and the EU, the two parties acknowledged that there are ample opportunities for further work, notably to encourage the certification of sustainable production and responsible trade, as well as to promote joint research and communication between universities, businesses, civil society and experts in Indonesia and the EU. Both parties also agreed to intensify the dialogue on this matter.
Both delegations welcomed the opportunities offered by the EU Copernicus Programme, from environmental protection and climate change to agriculture and urban development issues. Indonesia and the EU look forward to the finalisation of the Copernicus cooperation arrangement to foster 'Sentinel' data exchange, on the basis of reciprocity.
In the field of higher education, both delegations agreed to promote participation and opportunities for bilateral co-operation and student/staff/researcher exchanges through the existing Indonesia and EU programmes such as Beasiswa LPDP, Darmasiswa, Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship, Erasmus+ and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
The Joint Committee meeting was co-chaired by Mr Teuku Faizasyah, acting Director-General for American and European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and Mr Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service of the EU.