NEW DELHI – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked the Dutch government to support the development of low-carbon technology and to push for the abolition of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
He conveyed this during a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India.
“I hope that the Netherlands can support the development of low-carbon technology and the conversion of steam power plants to renewable energy as a follow-up to the JETP cooperation, and encourage the abolition of EUDR so it does not discriminate against Indonesia’s main commodities,” he said.
The EUDR controls imports into Europe, especially on commodities like palm oil, Malaysia and Indonesia which are among the world’s largest exporters have been hard hit by the new regulations which more or less label all plantations from this region as not sustainable.
The President had also asked Rutte to support Indonesia’s application to become a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“Indonesia has submitted an application to become a member of the OECD and has carried out various economic reforms in line with OECD requirements,” he conveyed.
In the regional context, he said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had agreed that the Netherlands would become ASEAN’s development partner, which is expected to further enhance ASEAN’s cooperation with the country.
“Even though the process was not easy, the partnership plan was finally agreed upon,” Jokowi noted.
During January-July 2023, the total trade between Indonesia and the Netherlands was recorded at US$2.73 billion. In this period, Indonesia’s exports to the Netherlands were recorded at US$2.17 billion, while Indonesia’s imports from the Netherlands were recorded at US$ 559.60 million. During that period, Indonesia enjoyed a surplus of US$ 1.61 billion.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the total trade between the two countries reached US$6.23 billion with the value of Indonesia’s exports to the Netherlands recorded at US$5.38 billion while Indonesia’s imports from the Netherlands were recorded at US$855.50 million. That year, Indonesia had a trade surplus of 4.52 billion US dollars.
Indonesia’s main export products to the Netherlands include palm oil and derivatives, copra, and saturated acyclic monocarboxylates. Its imported products from the Netherlands include papers, processed foods, and fats. (*)
Source: businesstoday.com.my | voi.id
