Jakarta, September 23, 2026 — President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday instructed his cabinet to expedite the implementation of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA), as negotiators from both sides finalize the legal text of the deal.
Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Prabowo delivered the instruction during a meeting at the Presidential Palace, adding that Indonesian and EU negotiators are currently finalizing the English version of the agreement before it is submitted to the European Parliament for approval.
Once the European Parliament approves the agreement, the government will prepare the Indonesian version and submit it to the House of Representatives for ratification.
“The President wants the Indonesia-EU CEPA to be completed as soon as possible,” Airlangga said.
The European Union launched CEPA negotiations with Indonesia in 2016 with the aim of expanding market access, boosting trade and investment and promoting sustainable development.
After 19 rounds of formal negotiations spanning nearly a decade, the process entered a new phase in 2025 when Prabowo and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Brussels that both sides had reached a political agreement on the deal, paving the way for the completion of the legal text and a faster ratification process.
The government hopes the agreement will enter into force in early 2027, opening wider market access for key Indonesian exports such as crude palm oil (CPO), coffee, textiles and garments, while enabling the EU to strengthen its access to critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies and stainless steel production.
Under the agreement, Indonesia is expected to secure tariff elimination on around 98 percent of tariff lines, with 90.4 percent of exports gaining immediate access to the European market. The deal is also expected to boost bilateral trade between Indonesia and the EU, which reached around 29 billion Euros in 2025.
Airlangga added that the government would make the Indonesia-EU CEPA a key agenda item during European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič’s visit to Indonesia later this year.
“There is also a plan for the President of the European Commission to visit Indonesia in late October or early November,” he said.
