The European Parliament adopted an interim report on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part, with the exception of matters related to readmission.
Parliament recalled that Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation, the third largest democracy and the largest Muslim majority country.
Taking account of these elements, it called on the Council to take account of the following recommendations in the framework of the consent of the Agreement:
Economic expansion: Parliament highlighted that Indonesia's 15-year process of democratic, political, social and economic transformation, after 33 years of authoritarian military rule and that Indonesia is urbanising rapidly. It has a fast-rising middle class (of over 70 million), ample natural resources, the largest economy in Southeast Asia (GDP growing by more than 6% in the last two years), with half of the world's trade passing its northern maritime border, and an increasing diplomatic presence in regional and global fora, such as the UN, the WTO, the IOC and the G20, as well as the ASEAN, of which Indonesia is both a founder and its largest member, and recognises the important role played by Indonesia in the broader region. In this respect, Parliament recognised the important role of Indonesia in the region as a whole.
Human rights: Parliament stressed the inconsistency of Law 8/1985 and the new Law on Mass Organisations 17/2013 (repealing the former Law on Associations 8/1985) on civil organisations (the “Ormas Bill”), which, despite the stated purpose of ensuring tolerance and preventing violence against society groups, if not revised to conform with international human rights standards, risks imposing unnecessary and sometimes onerous administrative, legal and financial restrictions on the activities of non-governmental organisations.
It called on both national and foreign enterprises operating in Indonesia need to develop their activities in accordance with the principles of corporate social responsibility.
Freedom of culture: Parliament noted with regret that the increasingly strong focus on Islamic teachings in the public education system, to the detriment of the stress on religious, ethnic and cultural plurality and diversity enshrined in the Indonesian motto ‘Bhineka Tunggal Ika’ (Unity in Diversity), and expressed their concern as regards acts of violence towards religious minorities and the closure of churches in some parts of the country.
Death penalty: Parliament recalled that the abolition of the death penalty is a key objective of the Union's human rights policy and called on the Indonesian authorities to consider abolishing the death penalty, or at least declaring a moratorium on its application. They also called for the end of acts of violence against the civilian population in Papua and West Papua.
Parliament also called for further efforts to: