Towards a closer partnership
Message from EU Presidency
It is a great honor for me to send a message to the Indonesian people on behalf of the Presidency of the European Union on the occasion of Europe Day 2005. The 18-month long Dutch Presidency of the EU in Indonesia is coming to its end, and it is safe to say that these last 18 months have brought highly intense and challenging developments to Indonesia.
Regarding the Dutch Presidency and its agenda, we identified four subjects in the field of the EU's foreign policy, and one of them is Asia. At the moment everyone obviously thinks of the tsunami when thinking of Asia. The television images of this disaster were shocking, but reality is even more overwhelming. Nature has made clear to us in a most terrible way how countries and peoples that live thousands of kilometers apart are still connected to one another. There was immediately a heartfelt need for many European citizens to express their solidarity with the victims in words and actions.
But I have much confidence in the strong sense for entrepreneurship and the belief in one's own strength that will help Indonesia to recover and fully take part in Asia's rapid economic and political development. Asia is quickly gaining international weight: Non-proliferation, the campaign against terrorism, political stability, human rights, trade and development cooperation are all subjects of great importance in our relations with Asia. Therefore, it is very much in the European Union's interest to further upgrade and intensify its relationship with Asia.
The EU is Indonesia's second largest trading partner after Japan as well as the largest investor. The bigger and more united Europe becomes, the greater its global interest will be. The benefit of stability of market access and competitive exposure in an internal market made up of 25 countries stimulates the EU4s economy as a whole and will be beneficial for our trading partners as well.
Besides the funds that were made available because of the tsunami, EU member states provide aid to Indonesia through an array of programs across a number of fields. Basic education is one of the main sectors of our assistance to Indonesia. The process of decentralization also poses a great challenge for Indonesia. Through the World Bank Consultative Group on Indonesia there is a constructive dialogue between donor countries and the Indonesian government on dealing with this. Natural resource management is another challenge that requires urgent attention. Launched in 1992, development programs in this sector have focused mainly on forestry management and aim generally to promote the basic principles of conservation and sustainable development.
The EU also provides significant support to the process of political reform and democratization in Indonesia. The EU was one of the leading international donors supporting Indonesia's first democratic parliamentary elections since the fall of the Soeharto Government in 1999 and was again engaged in supporting last year's legislative and presidential elections. This is a clear evidence of the EU's willingness and commitment to support and assist Indonesia through the transition that the country and its people are now going through.
We are confident that the good relations between Europe and Indonesia will be deepened and enhanced in the coming years. It is a privilege for me to send my compliments and assurances of continued support to the people of Indonesia.
Ruud Treffers Ambassador of the Netherlands to Indonesia