Meeting French Minister of Trade, Zulhas Ensures European Union Products Are Not Hindered to Indonesia
Indonesian Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan alias Zulhas met with Minister of Trade. Economic Attraction and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht. During the meeting, Zulhas ensured that the Indonesian government would not hinder the entry of European Union products into Indonesia.
“Especially products from France, and we invite more French entrepreneurs to seek business opportunities with Indonesian entrepreneurs,” Zulhas said in a statement on Sunday, August 27, 2023.
He said there were many business sectors that could be explored and developed between Indonesia and France. According to him, there is a lot of room for growth from the trade between the two countries, which is currently around EUR 3 billion.
The bilateral meeting was help on the sidelines of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) in Jaipur, India.
The agenda will take place on 24-25 August 2023. Zulhas said that many French companies are investing in Indonesia. The total trade between the two countries is around EUR 3 billion, according to him, which has the potential to continue to be developed. The Ministry of Trade also stated that it would assist business actors of the two countries to establish cooperation and improve trade relations between Indonesia and France.
Regarding the Anti-deforestation Law (EUDR) issued by the European Union, Zulhas also asked for French support to encourage European Union cooperation with Indonesia. The aim is to ensure that there are no barriers to market access for Indonesian products in the region.
He hope that through the meeting, better cooperation could be realize between Indonesia and the European Union. He said Indonesia did not hinder products from the European Union, especially France. But on the other hand, he said, the European Union issued the European. Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) which threatens farmers in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government also asked for French support so that negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Agreement between Indonesia and the European Union (IEU-CEPA) would be complete quickly.
For information, total trade between Indonesia and France from January to June 2023 reached US$ 1.3 billion. Indonesia’s exports to France amounted to US$ 470.0 million and Indonesia’s imports from France amounted to US$ 857.9 million.
Meanwhile, in 2022 the total trade between Indonesia and France is record at US$ 2.4 billion.
Indonesia’s exports to France amounted to US$ 1.0 billion and Indonesia’s imports from France amounted to US$ 1.3 billion. Indonesia’s main export commodities to France in 2022 include electrical machinery and equipment. Vehicles and their parts, non-knitted apparel. Home furnishings and lighting, and animal and vegetable fats and oils.
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