Robert Habeck mit Airlangga Hartarto

© BMWK/Andreas Mertens

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto today met for bilateral talks to exchange views on key aspects of German-Indonesian economic relations.

The focus of the talks was on fields of future cooperation, especially on green technologies, and opportunities that would arise from a trade agreement between the EU and Indonesia. Indonesia is this year’s partner country of the Hannover Messe.

Federal Minister Habeck said: "Germany and Indonesia are important partners for one another. We want to further expand this partnership by working even more closely together in economic terms. To achieve this goal, Minister Airlangga Hartarto and I have agreed to set up a Joint Economic and Investment Committee. In the context of this forum, we not only want to discuss areas of future cooperation, but also talk openly about trade barriers. A trade agreement between the EU and Indonesia would also further strengthen our economic relations and facilitate access to forward-looking and growing markets for German and European companies, on the one hand, and Indonesian enterprises, on the other hand. I am therefore advocating a speedy conclusion of the negotiations."

Indonesia is an important partner for Germany in the dynamic Indo-Pacific region, also and in particular in view of diversification efforts. Cooperation between the two countries will be intensified in the coming years, especially in the fields of renewable energy and raw materials, as Indonesia intends to make large investments in the expansion of renewable energy. Furthermore, Indonesia has a lot of raw materials which can be an important building block for Germany and Europe to successfully master the energy transition.

The Indonesia-Germany Joint Economic and Investment Committee aims to strengthen and further expand the economic cooperation between the two countries. Priorities include trade, industry, investment, the environment and raw materials, energy, maritime issues, tourism, health, and initial and further vocational training.

In addition to the political exchange, it is important that business representatives will also attend the Committee meetings. This is to guarantee that measures to increase bilateral cooperation in the above-mentioned areas will be identified and implemented. Furthermore, the Committee should also serve as a platform for both sides to openly talk about possible impediments to the bilateral relations and elaborate joint solutions.
The trade volume between Germany and Indonesia has again developed positively after the pandemic. In 2022, bilateral trade in goods totalled €8.4 billion (German imports from Indonesia: around €5.4 billion: textiles, shoes, raw materials; exports: approximately €3 billion: especially mechanical engineering, chemical products).