Jakarta. Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) is preparing a strategy to ramp up its fishery export diplomacy to expand its market access in the European Union (EU).

Marine and Fisheries Quality Assurance Agency (MFQAA) of MMAF and stakeholders encourage Indonesian fish and fisheries products to get access into European markets. Indonesia have secured 176 fisheries companies with EU's approval numbers.

According to Director General of MFQAA Ishartini, some of the fishery diplomacy efforts include making an in-person high-level approach and clarification by involving the relevant diplomatic channels and related sectors. Other efforts include hands-on leadership and routine focus group discussions that bring together the downstream and upstream players.

The MFQAA also partners with the EU delegation to Indonesia so they can provide comprehensive and up-to-date information to the European bloc's headquarters. The MFQAA also bridges any need for technical recommendations to make sure that the quality and safety assurance system for fishery products are operational.

"We have clarified several things during our meetings with the high-level officials from the EU's DG SANTE [Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety]. A number of them have given positive feedback. I, alongside other senior officials at the MMAF, even prepared the rest of the document, which we would soon send to Brussels," Ishartini said.

According to Ishartini, Indonesia is also nudging the EU into reopening the registration for approval numbers.

There are also talks regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) in Indonesia-EU's ongoing negotiations for its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

"It is Brussels itself that has opened up the possibility of a partnership on SPS. I believe we can take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate the technical gaps so that we can have more Indonesian companies that get approved. I have told the EU delegation that our synergy marks a new chapter in our efforts to boost bilateral trade," Ishartini said.

Ishartini had also made some similar calls for greater fishery export during a meeting with the EU delegation. The government reported that the EU was the fifth-largest export destination for Indonesian fishery products. Some of Indonesia's top exports were tuna - skipjack (36.5 percent), cephalopod (16.9%), shrimp (12.5 percent), and seaweed (8.1 percent). In addition, Indonesia and Vietnam are two countries in Asia that supply frog meat needs. Not all fish-producing countries, especially in Asia, can export their products to the EU due to the bloc's stringent quality and food safety standards.

The EU is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. EU is one of the world's largest consumers of fishery products with its annual consumption per capita standing at between 24 and 25 kilograms. EU's income per capita of 37,900 euros (Rp 630 million or around $39,751) makes the bloc an attractive market for Indonesian fish products. 

EU Approval Number
Every country must secure the official approval of the EU's authorities to be able to export its fishery products to Europe. A country can get the approval by undergoing a series of inspections of its quality and safety assurance system across its upstream and downstream sectors. Indonesia already got this country-based approval in 1994 through the European Commission Decision (CD) Number 324/94. This regulation also shows the appointment of an authority that is in charge of overseeing the quality assurance. Companies may also sign up for the approvals to this competent authority to be able to export to the EU through a fair process. EU's competent authority will also regularly make inspections to Indonesia to make sure that its assurance system can produce products that meet the bloc's standards.

"The principles or key points asked by the EU is for us to demonstrate to them that the regulations that we have drafted, including on the norms, standards, procedures, and criteria are really in place from the upstream to the downstream," Ishartini said.

According to Ishartini, this would require a multi-stakeholder collaboration between the government, private sector, and other stakeholders.

"What we have achieved today is the fruit of the partnership between the government and private sector," Ishartini said.

Active Role by Stakeholders
Expanding Indonesia's market access to the EU calls for synergy between the government as the regulator, the private sector, and other stakeholders. The implementation of quality and safety assurance on the ground relies on the active role of businesses. They are in charge of making sure that the procurement of their raw materials is traceable as required by the EU. They also have to make sure the supplies and ships are certified and meet EU standards.

Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono previously had told his senior officials to continue promoting product safety and quality to meet global standards. This way, Indonesia can grow its fishery exports to global markets, particularly the US, Japan, China, and Europe.