Trade Minister Budi Santoso believes the European Union is beginning to soften its stance on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) as the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) draws nearer.
"Yes, actually, when the IEU CEPA process is about to be completed, things like the EUDR and so on will start to soften," said Budi Santoso while giving a press statement in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday (12/7) local time.
Quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube page on Sunday, Budi said that issues such as the EUDR are starting to show signs of easing because the European Union has demonstrated a strong desire to establish a long-term partnership with Indonesia.
Therefore, the government is currently focusing its efforts on finalizing the IEU-CEPA as a basis for strengthening trade relations between the two parties.
Regarding the lengthy IEU-CEPA negotiation process, Budi explained that this dynamic is normal in trade negotiations, which involve bargaining to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
He stated that all substantive issues in the negotiations had been resolved. With the completion of all discussions, the President would soon officially announce the agreement.
"But everything's finished. Coordinating Minister Airlangga said earlier that everything is finished. In substance, there are no problems. So, the President just needs to announce it tomorrow. So, there's no problem," he said.
Budi further added that the completion of the IEU-CEPA will open up new alternatives for expanding Indonesia's export market.
With market access opened through the IEU-CEPA, he hopes Indonesia can capitalize on this opportunity to increase exports to the European region.
"This is a new alternative for our market. EU (European Union) imports to the world are US$6.6 trillion, compared to America's $3.3 trillion. So, if we can gain greater access to the EU-CEPA, I think this will be a good market for us as an alternative to markets in other countries," he concluded.
