Indonesia’s Security Relationship with the European Union: Prospects and Possibilities for Growth

For Indonesia, a maritime nation-state whose archipelago is the world’s largest, maintaining positive security relationships with its neighbours in Southeast Asia comes first. This is closely followed by Indonesia’s economic cooperation and diplomatic management of its ties with the United States and China. The European Union (EU) is arguably not a “natural” security actor in the Asia–Pacific nor a traditional security partner for Indonesia. This is by virtue of Europe’s distance from Asia, the exigencies of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and recent tensions arising from the Gaza–Israel conflict. However, Indonesia’s diplomatic and security agencies see the need for improving bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with individual EU member states and the EU when opportunity permits. Indeed, the Indonesian foreign ministry’s “bebas dan aktif” (independent and active) principle guiding overall foreign policy allows Indonesia to welcome collaboration where it is useful with potential partners, including the EU. Maritime and transnational security issues are likely to dominate the Indonesian security and armed forces’ agenda. The EU can be a viable source for training, procurement, and other support, and in helping to professionalise Indonesia’s coast guard and naval personnel to tackle transnational security threats at sea. The next president will face similar security challenges as his predecessors, even if his outlook on defense and foreign policy may be more robust. This chapter examines some fundamentals of Indonesia’s security outlook and implications for its existing and future security arrangements with EU members and the EU as a security actor.