News & Articles

On 22 April, EuroCham Indonesia was invited by the EU Delegation to Indonesia to a working lunch to meet with a delegation from the Council of the European Union’s working party on Asia-Oceania (COASI) who are on a working visit to Jakarta. The COASI delegation is composed of representatives from the EU Member States and the EU Institutions and is responsible for strategizing EU relations with States and Governmental Organizations in Asia and Oceania. The purpose of their working visit is to explore ways to enhance Indonesia’s visibility in the EU and to explore ways to enhance EU-Indonesia bilateral relations as well as EU-ASEAN relations. The select representatives of EuroCham represented specific sectors and industries ranging from banking, dairy, cosmetics, renewables, aviation, maritime transport, beverage, services, chemicals, and industry, as well as the bilateral European chambers and legal profession. The working lunch proved useful as it provided the delegates with a better understanding of the opportunities needed as well as the challenges that European businesses encounter in Indonesia. The meeting attracted discussions that also gauged the European business perspective as to the impact that current European policies have on Indonesia as well as which specific areas or sectors the EU can leverage to make its presence and relationship both impactful and mutually beneficial.

EuroCham Indonesia was represented by Francois de Maricourt (Chairman of EuroCham), Berend van Wel (Vice Chairman of EuroCham), Junaid Murtaza (President Director & CEO of L'Oréal Indonesia), Gustaaf Reerink (DBN - Dutch Business Network Indonesia representative), Muhammad Sofyan (CEO & President Director of ISS Indonesia), Laurent Boissier (CEO of Danone Indonesia), Christofer Arisandy (Managing Director of BASF Indonesia), Thomas Wagner (Head of Energy Working Group / Chief Representative South-East Asia of EnviTec Biogas AG), Régis ANTOMARCHI (Director of Business & Development of Airbus Helicopters), Michel AZRAK (President Director of CMA CGM), and Edison Bako (Executive Director of EuroCham)

The COASI Delegation was comprised of Michael Wislocki, Gommaar Dubois, Biljana Žilić, Melanie Antoniou, Dorota Saitzova, Marianne Peters, Meelis Tiigimäe, Marjo Kaller, Glenn Salic, Jan Moritz Klein, Géza Mihályi, Darragh Higgins, Arvid Zirnis, Kristina Babičiené, Marthe Hoffmann, Merel Dekker, Liliana Miranda, Anca Cioriciu Puie, Stanislav Mistik, Sanjin Ulezic, Johan Bäverbrant Stanghed, Michał Safianik, Mark Gallagher, and Susanne Kiefer.

Many thanks to Ambassador Denis Chaibi, EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, and Marika Jakas for organizing this insightful discussion.

On April 17, EuroCham Indonesia was honored to be invited to a meeting with His Excellency Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs. EuroCham Indonesia was invited as part of a joint-chamber effort. Representatives from foreign chambers and H.E. Luhut exchanged views regarding the business and investment climate in Indonesia. Francois de Maricourt, Chairman of EuroCham, also reiterated EuroCham's commitment to supporting Indonesia's economic development through business expansion and investment. To fully optimize Indonesia's potential, EuroCham hopes that the government further supports the ease of import and export of goods, especially imports of raw materials and inputs for manufacturing in Indonesia.

We would like to thank H.E. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs Republic of Indonesia for the opportunity.