Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan partially blames the EU for having too many demands that have resulted in further delays to the negotiations.
rade Minister Zulkifli Hasan has said negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) remain difficult, even as his hoped-for deadline of the end of September nears, he partially blames the bloc for making too many demands.
Zulkifli said the ministry had reported the obstacles faced during the negotiations to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He stated that the government wished to immediately conclude the trade agreement but lamented the lack of progress despite having fulfilled “a lot of demands” from the EU.
“If [they keep adding] more and more [requests], of course, it’s a hassle. We want this [agreement] to be finalized soon, but it depends [on them] too, right?” he said in Jakarta on Thursday as reported by Detik.com.
Read also: IEU-CEPA talks may be pushed back to next administration
Negotiations between Indonesia and the EU began in July 2016.
President Jokowi will also step down from his office on Oct. 20, and the country will see president-elect Prabowo Subianto sworn in.
Zulkifli warned negotiations on the IEU-CEPA could get tougher when the president-elect takes office, as the next administration will seek to push for the 50 percent-blended biodiesel (B50) program nationwide as a means to reduce reliance on costly fuel imports.
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