No dirty deal with Indonesia: 120 organisations call for an end to the EU free trade agreement
Berlin/Brussels/Jakarta, 18 February 2025: In a joint opinion, civil society organisations from Europe and Indonesia call on the EU and the Indonesian government to stop negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement (CEPA). The agreement poses a significant threat to the environment and climate, as well as to the rights of women, indigenous peoples, workers, smallholders and fishermen.
Restriction of economic sovereignty
“CEPA deprives Indonesia of control over its own raw materials and forces it to open the raw materials market without protection from export tariffs or quotas. This prevents Indonesia from creating its own value while multinationals absorb the profits. This agreement cements an unfair trade model and undermines the country’s economic sovereignty", criticises Alessa Hartmann, International Trade Policy Officer at PowerShift.
Threat to a just energy transition
The agreement facilitates foreign investors' access to the Indonesian energy market and undermines state control over renewable energy. “A sustainable energy transition must not be subordinated to the profit logic of corporations. We are calling for an energy policy that serves the population and does not promote the privatisation of public goods," said Ludwig Essig.
Mining of raw materials threatens the environment and human rights
Indonesia is one of the main suppliers of nickel, tin, copper and other raw materials needed for the green energy transition. “Mining is destroying habitats, distributing indigenous communities and endangering the health of local populations. There are countless reports of polluted rivers, destroyed fish stocks and forced relocations. The people of Indonesia are paying a high price for the hunger for raw materials of the industrialised nations", explains Klaus Schilder, speaker for sustainable management at Misereor.
The EU must take responsibility
Instead of forcing neoliberal trade models, the EU should seek a partnership on an equal footing with Indonesia. The organisations call for:
- Binding environmental and human rights due diligence obligations for commodity trading and investment
- Independent mandatory social and environmental impact assessments for mining projects
- Strengthening Indigenous Rights
- No Investor-State Dispute Settlement Mechanisms (ISDS) in CEPA
- Stop CEPA negotiations immediately!
Civil society statement: https://europeantradejustice.org/raw-materials-eu-indonesia/
Contacts for more information:
- Alessa Hartmann, PowerShift e.V., alessa.hartmann@power-shift.de, +49 (0)30 278 756 32
- Klaus Schilder, Misereor, klaus.zeichen@misereor.de; 0170-2083559
- Raphael Göpel, Asia House Foundation, raphael.goepel@asienhaus.de, 0221-71612125
- Roman Herre, FIAN Germany, r.herre@fian.de
