European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič are expected to visit Indonesia in late October or early November, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on September 22. The planned visits come as both sides work to complete the remaining steps toward signature and ratification of the IEU-CEPA.
President Prabowo Subianto has instructed the government to accelerate completion of the agreement. According to Airlangga, the IEU-CEPA is currently undergoing document finalization, including preparation of the English-language text for the European process. Indonesia will subsequently proceed with its domestic ratification process through the House of Representatives.
The upcoming discussions do not represent a reopening of the trade negotiations themselves. The EU and Indonesia formally finalized negotiations on the CEPA and a separate Investment Protection Agreement in September 2025. The European Commission submitted proposals to the Council of the EU for signature and conclusion of the agreements in June 2026. The published texts may still undergo legal revision and will become final upon signature.
The Indonesian government is targeting ratification in the second half of 2026, with the agreement expected to enter into force in early 2027, subject to completion of the required procedures on both sides.
Once in force, the IEU-CEPA will cover a broad range of trade and investment areas, including goods and services, customs procedures, investment, digital trade, government procurement, intellectual property, energy and raw materials, and sustainable development. The negotiated agreement provides for the elimination of tariffs on more than 98 percent of tariff lines.
For German and other European companies doing business with Indonesia, the upcoming high-level discussions are particularly relevant because they concern the remaining steps before the agreement can be signed, ratified and ultimately applied in practice.