Indonesia and EFTA Hold Business Dialogue to Enhance Economic Ties

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia organized the Indonesia-EFTA Business Dialogue.

IDXChannel - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, in collaboration with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Secretariat, organized the Indonesia-EFTA Business Dialogue  in Jakarta and Bandung this month.

The event was intended to enhance the utilization of the Indonesia-EFTA Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This dialogue was attended by over 150 business actors, including members of KADIN, HIPMI, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, the Norway Business Council, and other prominent business associations.

“During the period of 2022 – 2023, trade between Indonesia and EFTA increased by USD650 million," said the Ministry's Director General for American and European Affairs Ambassador Umar Hadi in a media release.

"Nevertheless, joint efforts between the two parties are needed to boost the utilization of Indonesia-EFTA CEPA. Joint activities like this Business Dialogue are one of the ways to achieve it," he added.

The Indonesia – EFTA Business Dialogue served as a platform for Indonesia and EFTA to discuss the progress of implementing the Indonesia-EFTA CEPA, the challenges faced, and to collaboratively formulate steps to enhance the utilization of the agreement moving forward. 

Topics addressed included tariff regulations, rules of origin (ROO), list rules, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and market insights from EFTA member states.

EFTA consists of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The Indonesia-EFTA CEPA was signed in December 2018 and entered into force in November 2021. (Wahyu Dwi anggoro)