Indonesia, EU promote negotiations for CEPA

The Trade Ministry’s director general in charge of international trade negotiations, Iman Pambagyo (Photo: thejakartapost.com)

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia and the European Union held their fifth round of talks on the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA) in Brussels, Belgium from July 9-13.

The round covered discussions on trade in goods and also the trade of services, investments and other forms of cooperation.

They also discussed energy and raw materials (ERM), said Trade Ministry’s International Trade Negotiations Director Gerneral Iman Pambagyo, who was head of Indonesia’s negotiators for the fifth round.

The negotiations on ERM are targeted for completion in September.

The EU was keen on securing access to energy and minerals from Indonesia, including ways to enforce the application of mineral exit duty.

For Indonesia, management of energy and mineral resources is mandated by the law related to export duty on minerals, and discussions on the matter involve several ministries such as energy and mineral resources ministry, trade ministry, industry ministry and finance ministry.

Both parties agreed to encourage the implementation of international standards in energy and mineral business activities, especially related to safety. They reached consensus on conducting various research activities, development and innovation, with close connection with ERM, mainly concerning renewable energy and energy efficiency.-VNA