European Commission Directorate-General for Trade

Indonesia

Indonesia is one founding member of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN countries as a group are the EU's third largest trading partner outside Europe, after the United States and China. Bilateral trade in goods between the EU and ASEAN reached some €147 billion in 2010. Negotiating better access for EU exporters to the dynamic ASEAN market was identified as a priority under the 2006 Global Europe trade strategy.

Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN representing half of its GDP and population (240 million inhabitants). However, it ranks only at the fourth position inside the region as EU's trading partner (and 32nd overall), with a bilateral merchandise trade just reaching 20 billion euro in 2010.  Although growing, bilateral trade in services is not substantial (3.3 billion interchange in 2009).

Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN representing half of its GDP and population

Trade in goods

• EU exports to Indonesia 2010: €6.4 billion
• EU imports from Indonesia 2010: €13.7 billion
• EU trade balance for goods 2010: €-7.4 billion

Trade in services

• EU commercial services exports to Indonesia 2009: €2 billion
• EU commercial services imports from Indonesia 2009: €1.3 billion
• EU trade balance for services 2009: €0.7 billion

Foreign Direct Investment

• EU investment flows to Indonesia 2009: €1.5 billion
• Indonesian investment flows to the EU 2009: €-0.1 billion
• EU total stock of investment in Indonesia 2009: €17.5 billion
• Indonesian total stock of investment in the EU 2009: €-2.6 billion

More Statistics on Indonesia

Possible future FTA negotiations between the EU and Indonesia

After FTA negotiations between the EU and a group of ASEAN countries proved difficult, in December 2009 the EU Member States gave the green light for the Commission to pursue negotiations towards free trade agreements with individual ASEAN countries, beginning with Singapore. At the same time, the EU is not losing sight of the ultimate goal of achieving an agreement within a regional framework. Late 2009, Commission President José Manuel Barroso and the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tasked a Vision Group of eminent persons from both Indonesia and EU to produce recommendations on how to take relations to the next level. The recommendations of the Vision Group were presented to the EU Trade Commissioner and the Indonesia Trade Minister on 4 May in Jakarta. The joint final Report underlining the Vision Group's recommendations was presented to the public during the dissemination event held in Brussels on 28 June 2011.

• Full Report of the EU-Indonesia Vision Group
• Photos of Commissioner De Gucht receiving the report of the EU-Indonesia Vision Group

More information on EU relations with Indonesia can be found on the external relations website.