Airlangga to visit France, Belgium to speed Indonesia's OECD entry

 Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto will lead the Indonesian delegation for a working visit to France and Belgium from June 3 to 5, to accelerate the country’s accession to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As the chief executive of the OECD National Accession Team, Minister Airlangga will attend the 2026 OECD Ministerial Meeting in Paris.

"This visit marks two years of Indonesia's journey towards OECD membership since receiving the Accession Roadmap in 2024 and submitting the results of its self-assessment in the Initial Memorandum Document in 2025," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

The accession process is currently in the technical review phase, conducted by the OECD team and OECD member countries.

In this phase, the OECD will conduct a series of information and data collection activities, including distributing questionnaires, conducting fact-finding missions, and compiling studies on the state of national policies and regulations in Indonesia.

The results of these activities will then be discussed at the OECD Committee level, which will produce recommendations for improving policies and regulations for Indonesia.

The OECD accession process involves 25 OECD Committees with policy areas covering the economic, governance, and social sectors, including investment, trade, competition, fiscal policy, governance, anti-corruption, the environment, the digital economy, health, education, and employment.

Indonesia is in the global spotlight as the first Southeast Asian country to undergo such a process.

The OECD even noted that member countries' enthusiasm for Indonesia's candidacy is the highest the organization has ever seen. Most have offered cooperation and technical assistance to ensure the smooth running of Indonesia's accession process.

Therefore, coordination is crucial to maintain the enthusiasm and expectations of member countries for the benefit of national interests.

"We must capitalize on this momentum so more countries will support and accelerate Indonesia's membership," Airlangga said.

At the meeting, Indonesia will highlight its downstreaming mission as a key policy for creating added value, absorbing qualified labor, and strengthening the national economic structure.

Airlangga is also scheduled to be a keynote speaker in a session discussing the balance of industrial policy for open markets and prosperity.

To ensure the smooth technical process of accession, Airlangga will hold a series of bilateral meetings with ministers from more than eight countries, including Australia, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Thailand.

In addition, he will meet with the leaders of the Business at the OECD (BIAC), which is the closest partner of the Indonesian business association.

Following the Paris visit, Airlangga will continue his trip to Belgium, where he is scheduled to speak at the Brussels Economic Security Forum (BESF) 2026 and meet with EU Commissioners.

As Europe’s leading annual summit focusing on economic security issues, the forum brings together industry leaders, EU policymakers, member states, and global partners to discuss international geoeconomic challenges.

Airlangga’s main agenda in Brussels is overseeing the ratification process of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA), which was agreed upon by President Prabowo Subianto in July 2025.

This successful ratification is expected to come into effect soon, thus having a significant positive impact on Indonesia's market access and economic cooperation with EU member states.