ASIATODAY.ID, VIANTIANE – Coordinating Minister for the Indonesian Economy, Airlangga Hartarto asked ASEAN countries to accelerate the completion of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) on time.
This was conveyed by Airlangga when attending the 24th ASEAN Economic Community Council Meeting which was held on Monday, October 7 2024, in Viantiane, Laos.
“I would like to ask the attention of all ASEAN economic ministers regarding the development of digital economic negotiations in ASEAN, which are the first regional digital economic negotiations in the world,” said Airlangga.
ASEAN DEFA is one of the important achievements in the 2023 Indonesian Chairmanship and the first round of negotiations which will be held in December 2023 in Jakarta.
DEFA is one of the mainstays brought forward during Indonesia’s chairmanship of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, in Jakarta in August 2023, to realize ASEAN’s vision as a center for growth.
At that time, Airlangga said that DEFA was a master plan created by the Indonesian leadership, including an agreement that regulates digitalization, including digital talent, digital ID, cyber security, retraining, reskilling, infrastructure and interoperability in ASEAN. With DEFA, the digital economy in ASEAN is expected to double by 2030.
Furthermore, Airlangga also highlighted the progress of DEFA negotiations which still require hard work, where currently only 14% has been completed of the target of 50% by the end of 2024.
“I encourage the negotiating team, with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat, to optimize time this year to achieve the target of 50% completion of negotiations in 2024,” said Airlangga.
Two directions were conveyed by Airlangga in encouraging the acceleration of DEFA negotiations, namely the implementation of the code of conduct which has been agreed upon in 2023 which is believed to make the negotiation process easier, as well as the need for new, innovative approaches in the negotiation process.
For this reason, it is necessary to carry out an assessment of the negotiation process to see challenges and opportunities to formulate new strategies that are more effective and efficient.
“I support the initiative to take a two-stage approach in the negotiation process based on the existing categories and the readiness of each ASEAN member country,” explained Airlangga.
This approach will be an effective solution and accelerate the resolution of DEFA bullying which will be launched in 2025. Each ASEAN member country will be given flexibility and incentives to actively participate in the settlement process.
“To support this, there needs to be a capacity building program for all ASEAN countries so they can catch up and continue to work together as one unit,” concluded Airlangga. (ATN)
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