The Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, through the Chairperson of Indonesia-European Union Parliamentary Friendship Group expressed appreciation to the European Union for the assistance totaling 350 million Euro or approximately 6.33 trillion Rupiahs to help countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, fight COVID-19 pandemic.  

Susetyo mentioned that the assistance was provided to support efforts in dealing with health crisis, strengthening the health system, and minimizing the economic and social impact in the region. “Partnership and solidarity between Indonesia and the EU, especially ASEAN-EU, is essential for further development.” said Susetyo when receiving the European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia, Vincent Piket in Nusantara III building, Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday (24/6/2020).  

As regards the cooperation between Indonesia and the EU, Susetyo said that the two have built robust relation in many fields in the last few years resulting in the EU-Indonesia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The Member of Commission I of the House said that collaborative and concerted efforts from all stakeholders and full involvement from the Indonesian and EU Parliaments are needed to foster such cooperation.  

According to Susetyo, the most important thing for now is to turn the commitment into a reality. Sectors of cooperation that can be developed are trade and investment. “As the Chairperson of Indonesia-European Union Parliamentary Friendship Group, I sincerely hope close cooperation and greater coordination with you can be maintained to ensure our mission in various sectors is accomplished.” Susetyo said.  

He went on saying that the EU has funded some projects to support Indonesia’s green infrastructure such as smart climate-resilient cities, peatland protection, haze mitigation, marine biodiversity and the Coral Triangle’s initiative. 

Regarding the ongoing crude palm oil (CPO) dispute between Indonesia and the EU, he hoped both sides could reach peaceful settlement without resorting to trade-war. It will affect a lot of Indonesian people as they depend on this industry. 

“Representing Indonesian people, we agree to bridge this CPO issue through parliament to parliament contact. They said that in fact there is no ban, but concerns only linger over environmental issues. Later, we will sit together and discuss on how the CPO can be developed while also maintaining environmental sustainability. We need to talk about the issue,” stated the politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. 

As we all know, the Indonesian government through the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia in Geneva filed a lawsuit at World Trade Organization against EU over the issue on December 9th, 2019. The legal action was taken over the EU’s restrictive policies on palm oil commodity in the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).