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DEAR EKONID MEMBERS,
The economic transition of China from an export-
to a much slower growing consumer-oriented
economy and the steep decline worldwide of raw
material prices have hit the Indonesian economy
and the new government of president Widodo hard.
For the second year in a row the economy grew by
less than five percent, fairly reasonable compared to
most of Indonesia’s peer countries, but much lower
than the country was used to in over a decade. The
president and his new cabinet choose, after a period
of political power consolidation, to start reforms,
reducing bureaucratic impediments and turning
around some of the more national- and protectionist
policies of the last years.
EKONID had its own problems to fight with, after
the former government abolished the established
process of working permit applications for
chambers of commerce foreign employees without
providing a new procedure, which lead in an
unfortunate consequence in March almost to the
deportation of the Delegate of German Industry
in Indonesia and 16 other foreign employees and
interns of EKONID. It took almost half a year, with
months in between officially banned from being
in the office, to find a (temporary) solution and to
resume to normal working conditions.
It is quite remarkable that EKONID, under these
extraordinary difficult working conditions, was
able to keep on functioning and conduct or to be
actively involved in the organization of one hundred
and twenty seven (127) events in throughout the
year 2015; 88 of them in Indonesia, 39 outside the
country, of which 19 were in Germany, 14 in other
European and 6 in other, mostly ASEAN countries.
From the 88 events in Indonesia, 65 took place in
Jakarta, 19 in Surabaya and one each in Yayapura,
Bandung, Semarang and Batam.
Seven times EKONID had in 2015 the pleasure to
receive and look after incoming German business
delegations and together with answering hundreds
of individual corporate inquiries EKONID contribute
its share to the growing business activities between
the two countries.
Throughout the year EKONID was engaged in a
number of encounters with representatives of the
new Indonesian government like the Minister of
Transportation, H.E. Ignasius Jonan; the Minister
of Industry, H.E. Saleh Husin; the Minister of
Finance, H.E. Bambang Brodjonegoro; the
Minister of Energy, H.E. Surdiman Said; the
Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs,
H.E. Sofyan Djalil; the Minister of State Owned
Enterprises, H. E. Rini Soemarno; the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, H.E. Retno Marsudi; the Minister
of Trade, H.E. Thomas Lembong as well as
number of senior government officials, Deputy
Ministers and Director Generals.
Other major activities in 2015 were the German
Season, a series of events jointly organized by
the German Embassy, the Goethe Institute and
EKONID, in particular the Green City Events
series.
EKONID’s activities in the field of Training &
Education continued to develop and lead to
the first Train the Trainer (AdA) certification in
Indonesia according to German standards as well
as the start of vocational education and master
training (Meisterausbildung) programs between
EKONID and the ASTRA Group.
More details on all of this activity can be found in
this report or on EKONID’s website.
Our sincere appreciation and gratitude is
dedicated to all our members and clients, who,
through their continued and generous assistance
and endorsement, made EKONID’ work and
success in 2015 possible. This support, combined
with the dedication of our highly motivated team,
gives us the confidence to master all challenges
and opportunities ahead of us in the next years
and to continue to promote bilateral trade and
investment between our great nations and to carry
on the representation of our member’s interest.
A special thank you should be contributed to
the Federal German Ministry of Economics and
Energy (BMWi) for their continued financial
support to EKONID, and to the German Embassy
and the other German, European and Indonesian
institutions and partners, in particular to our
Premium as well as Law & Tax Network partners,
for maintaining the good cooperation. Thank you
all very much !
