Jakarta. Indonesia hopes to expedite the ratification of a trade deal with the European Union (EU) and its membership process at the OECD.

Chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto has gone on a working visit to France and Brussels to make this happen. Airlangga, who leads the national OECD accession team, will attend the organization’s ministerial talks in Paris. It has been two years since the accession process began. Jakarta accepted the accession roadmap in 2024, and submitted its initial memorandum -- which included the self-assessment results -- the following year.

It is now in a technical review phase. The OECD will conduct a series of information and data collection activities, including questionnaires, fact-finding missions, and compiling studies on the state of national policies and regulations in Indonesia. The OECD will produce recommendations to improve the policies.

According to a ministerial press statement, Airlangga has coordinated with over 60 stakeholders, including ministries, institutions, business associations, labor unions, academics, and community organizations. The OECD committees cover multiple areas, ranging from investment, trade, fiscal policy, anti-corruption, digital economy, to name a few.

Indonesia is the first Southeast Asian country to undergo the accession process. Jakarta also reported seeing strong enthusiasm among the group’s members.

"We must seize this momentum so that more countries support and accelerate Indonesia's membership," Airlangga said.

At the upcoming meeting, Indonesia will present its mission to bring its commodities up the value chain, among others, to create added value and high-quality jobs. Airlangga is set to address a session on the balance of industrial policy for open markets and prosperity. He will also hold a series of bilateral talks with over eight countries, including Australia, the US, Japan, the UK, Finland, and Thailand. Airlangga will meet with Business at OECD (BIAC), which is the group’s institutional business stakeholder.

Airlangga is set to visit Brussels, Belgium, on June 5 and attend the 2026 Brussels Economic Security Forum (BESF) and hold meetings with EU Commissioners. He will focus on overseeing the ratification process of the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Indonesian government said that the ratification would come into effect soon, thus having a significant positive impact on Indonesia's market access and economic cooperation with EU member states. 

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