Jakarta, March 5 -- Trade Minister Budi Santoso is targeting to complete the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) negotiations in the first half of this year.

He informed that currently, several technical issues are being negotiated.

"The plan (for the next negotiation) is next week. So hopefully, in the first semester (of this year), it will be completed," Santoso said here on Wednesday.

He added that the IEU-CEPA is important to increase Indonesia's trade to the European market, including in textile, ready-to-wear clothing, and footwear products.

Through the IEU-CEPA, he continued, Indonesia is expected to have a wider market.

"Now that the competition is getting tighter, maybe entering o...