Dear EKONID Members,
The year 2017 was, in economic terms, a rather uneventful year for Indonesia. No
major breakthroughs or reforms to report. GDP grew, for the fourth year in a row, slightly
more than 5% year-on-year – reasonable compared to most of Indonesia’s peer countries,
but much lower than in the previous decades. The country’s trade balance stabilized and
foreign direct investment continued to rise to US$32 billion in 2017 (+8.5% y/y). A modest
increase when considering the country’s potential.
Politically the gubernatorial election in Jakarta in February and March 2017 turned
out to be a challenge for all moderate and reform-oriented segments of the Indonesian
society, with incumbent governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama (otherwise known as Ahok) being
sentenced and jailed for blasphemy.
This annual report shall give you an overview on how EKONID, the German - Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has developed during that period and give testament
about our main activities throughout the year.
In 2017, EKONID conducted or was actively involved in the organization of one
hundred and seventy-five (175) events, 105 of them in Indonesia, 31 in Germany, 32 in
17 different European and seven (7) in other, mostly ASEAN, countries. Out of the 105
events in Indonesia, 86 took place in Jakarta, 5 in Surabaya and 14 in major cities such as
Bandung, Semarang and Surakarta, or in the islands of Batam and Bali.
The two events that deserve to be highlighted in 2017 were the high-level business
roundtable with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in July in Hamburg, Germany – held
concurrently with his participation at the G-20 meeting – and the annual EU – Indonesia
Business Dialogue (EIBD), which took place in November in Jakarta with the Indonesian
Minister for Industry, Airlangga Hartarto.
Four (4) times EKONID had the pleasure of receiving incoming German business
delegations as well as four (4) more from other European countries, namely Ireland,
Finland, Romania and Greece.
EKONID answered during the year 719 individual German corporate inquiries, with
EIBN supporting additional 669 European companies. In Trade Fairs, EKONID assisted
1,144 Indonesian visitors as well as 108 exhibitors abroad, while the Corporate Services
department looked after 107 legal mandates. The main business sectors or topics covered
in 2017 were Maritime, Medical & Health Care, Renewable Energies & Energy Efficiency,
Waste Management and Tourism.
In the field of training and education, the Industrial Mechanics program started with
our partners SIEMENS, MERCEDES, MAN and PT BARATA and the public school SMK 26,
while the Automotive Mechatronic program with ASTRA continued.
More details on all of these activities you can find 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’s
work and success in 2017 possible. This support, combined with the dedication of our
highly motivated team, enables us to continue to promote bilateral trade and investment
between our great nations and to carry out the representation of our members’ interest.
Special gratitude’s belong to the Federal German Ministry of Economics (BMWi) for their
continued financial support to EKONID, and to the German Embassy and all our other
German, European and Indonesian partners, in particular to our Premium as well as Law &
Tax Network partners, for maintaining and developing our good cooperation.
Thank you all very much!
Foreword
Prijono Sugiarto
Chairman of the AHK Board of
Management
Jan H. Rönnfeld
Managing Director of EKONID
EKONID ANNUAL REPORT 2017 |
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