Our Economic Team continued nurturing connections between Dutch and Indonesian public & private partners through various online activities this month. Check below some highlights of activities in the fields of waste, renewable energy, life sciences and health, and customs facilitation.
Virtual Mission Life Sciences and Health (28 June – 1 July)
Our virtual Life Sciences and Health (LSH) mission connected fourteen participating Dutch companies with counterparts in the ASEAN-region. Organized by Task Force Healthcare Netherlands together with three Dutch Embassies, the mission successfully facilitated exchanges of best practices in tackling shared challenges, for instance through screening & diagnostics, monitoring, as well as ensuring excellence in designing health facilities.
The Dutch Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, Ms. Ardi Stoios-Braken, kicked-off the Indonesia focused session on the second day of the mission, underlining the opportunities for more Dutch-Indonesian collaboration to improve access to care with health technology, especially considering the rise of technology use in Southeast Asia. Many Indonesian and international experts and stakeholders took part in the program, including the CEO of BPJS Kesehatan (the Indonesian Universal Health Coverage Agency), representatives from the Islamic Development Bank, major private hospitals, e-Health and telemedicine practitioners.
The mission was held as part of a three-year multi-annual LSH market program, supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The program covers a number of other activities to promote Dutch trade in the LSH-sector, is organized around the central theme of “connected care”, and aims to assist Dutch companies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Some of the companies participating in this mission are familiar with doing business in the region, others are new entrants to the market.
In the upcoming months, a sector study focusing on Dutch-Indonesian trade opportunities in LSH is expected to be published. Follow our Embassy’s social media channels to receive the updates.
‘Ask me Anything’ about exporting to ASEAN-5 with Dutch Customs Attaché (7 July)
Guusta Visser, Dutch Customs Attaché for Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam presented what to take into account when exporting to ASEAN, at a virtual “Ask me Anything” session for Dutch companies active in the region. Her presentation was followed by a Q&A, where participating companies could ask customs-related questions, for instance on the impact of bilateral free trade agreements on import duties in the countries of destination. Guusta also elaborated on the different documents required for certain types of goods, and shared some further practical information for Dutch exporters. To close the session, Guusta introduced the main contacts for customs affairs at the five Dutch Embassies in Southeast Asia where she is accredited, who can also support Dutch companies in their trade activities. For Jakarta, Dutch companies can also simply send their questions to JAK-EA@minbuza.nl.
North Sumatra Focus Session on Waste and Energy (22 July)
Our first sectoral focus session on waste and renewable energy was held digitally, continuing our “hybrid” program on North Sumatra. The event connected Dutch companies with local stakeholders and potential counterparts, leading up to a planned “offline” economic mission later this year.
Focusing on public sector aspects, Dr. Tengku Amri Fadli M. Kes and Ir. Zubaidi M.Si of the North Sumatra Provincial Government presented the challenges and trade and investment opportunities in the fields of waste management and renewable energy in North Sumatra. To complement this with a legal context, Bas de Jong of PnB lawfirm gave insights on company establishment requirements in Indonesia, including special permits and licenses needed for waste and energy activities. The session was closed with a discussion led by Dr. Ichsan of the Dutch Partners for International Business program on waste in Indonesia, where several questions of the participants were directly answered by the experts, such as best practices in fulfilling requirements for waste businesses, and steps to take for Dutch rooftop solar providers wanting to do business in North Sumatra.
To access the recorded video of the session and the presentation materials, please follow the updates on our Southeast Asia Business Platform or contact the Economic Team of the Embassy (JAK-EA@minbuza.nl).
