Indonesia finalizes initial memorandum for OECD accession

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has finalized the preparation of the Initial Memorandum (IM) for its accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, as head of the Indonesian delegation, will officially submit the IM document to OECD Secretary-General Matthias Cormann in Paris, France.

"This achievement is proof of Indonesia's full commitment to accession, as it was able to complete the preparation of the IM within one year of submitting the Accession Roadmap to the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in 2024,” Hartarto noted in his statement on Monday.

The IM is a key document in the accession process, containing an independent assessment of the alignment between national regulations, standards, and practices with OECD norms and standards.

Based on the Accession Roadmap received, Indonesia's IM comprises 32 chapters covering 240 OECD legal instruments.

Preparation of the IM involved 64 ministries and institutions, grouped into 26 sectors and eight cross-sectoral areas, as stipulated in Presidential Decree Number 17 of 2024 and Decree of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Number 232 of 2024.

"We need to really appreciate this hard work. However, the marathon is still long. We need to maintain momentum and energy for the review stage with the OECD committee, which will take longer," he remarked.

"With the permission and direction of the President (Prabowo Subianto), the Indonesian government will submit an Initial Memorandum at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris. We remain committed to pushing for accession, as this also supports tariff negotiations with the US, CPTPP, and Indonesia-EU CEPA," he affirmed.

During his visit to Paris on June 2-5, 2025, Hartarto is scheduled to attend a series of ministerial meetings of the OECD Council.

In addition to participating in OECD ministerial meetings and holding talks with the OECD Secretary-General, Hartarto is scheduled for bilateral discussions with representatives of partner countries and international organizations, including the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, as well as the ASEAN Secretary-General.

Through these meetings, Hartarto aims to secure support for the next stage of Indonesia's accession process.

Furthermore, Hartarto is set to attend an informal meeting of ministers of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to discuss the latest developments in the global situation and the WTO reform agenda.

On the sidelines of the visit, he is also scheduled to meet with members of the Indonesian diaspora working at the OECD Secretariat in Paris.