Indonesian Parliament Approves ICA-CEPA via Presidential Regulation

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament has approved the government’s plan to ratify the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or ICA-CEPA, through a Presidential Regulation. This move is considered strategic to accelerate the expansion of Indonesia’s export markets amid global geopolitical uncertainty.

The certainty of ratifying the ICA-CEPA emerged during a Working Meeting between Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament and Minister of Trade Budi Santoso at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. In his presentation, the Minister of Trade emphasized that Canada could serve as a strategic gateway for Indonesia to the North American market.

Responding to the rise of global trade protectionism, the cooperation will foster Indonesia’s position as the first mover in ASEAN to establish a partnership with Canada. Given the importance of this ratification for legal certainty for business actors, Budi recommended that the ICA-CEPA be ratified via a Presidential Regulation.

The minister said, “Then why are we, or why is the government, proposing this via a Presidential Regulation? Because Canada is actually quite ready. Canada has also been constantly asking us how far along the process is. So, we hope to finalize the administrative procedures soon so that implementation can proceed smoothly, given the current global geopolitical conditions. Therefore, we must secure new markets to boost our exports.”

Responding to the explanation from the Minister of Trade, Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament gave the green light. Deputy Chairperson of Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament, Adisatrya Suryo Sulisto, outlined four main points in the draft conclusions of the working meeting for mutual agreement, one of which explicitly approves the mechanism of the Presidential Regulation.

“Point two, Commission VI of the Indonesian Parliament approves and agrees that the ratification of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement shall be carried out through a Presidential Regulation,” he stated.

Negotiations for the ICA-CEPA have been ongoing for 2 years and 8 months across 10 rounds, beginning in June 2021, before finally being signed in September 2025 in Ottawa, Canada. This agreement is projected to serve as a legal framework protecting national interests and SMEs, while also generating mutually beneficial commitments ranging from tariff elimination to opening opportunities for the mobility of domestic professionals.