Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has announced that Indonesia has been included in the list of countries permitted to export aquaculture products to the European Union.
Ishartini, the Head of the Marine and Fisheries Product Quality Control and Inspection Agency, explained that Indonesia was previously not included in the EU Commission Implementing Regulation Number 2024/2598.
"This news is certainly a relief because previously, business players were worried as Indonesia was not listed as one of the countries allowed to export aquaculture products to the European Union market," said Ishartini in a written statement on Monday, June 15, 2026.
She explained that Indonesia was included on the list through the EU Commission Implementing Regulation No. 2026/1189, established on June 4, 2026, following negotiations.
Ishartini stated that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries communicated and negotiated with the EU, including through direct meetings with the EU's quality and food safety authority, DG SANTE, in Brussels, Belgium.
Throughout the negotiation process, Ishartini mentioned that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs took proactive and intensive steps to ensure the interests of aquaculture business players were preserved. "With Indonesia being listed in the said list, the access to the aquaculture products market in the EU remains open and sustainable," she added.
Ishartini revealed that the EU, consisting of 27 countries, is one of the largest consumers of seafood products in the world. The consumption of seafood per capita ranges from 24 to 25 kilograms per year. With an average income of 37,900 Euros or around Rp630 million, Ishartini sees great potential in the EU seafood market.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced that the EU is the fifth-largest destination for Indonesian seafood exports. The exported aquaculture commodities include shrimp, milkfish, and catfish. According to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, tilapia, also known as aquatic chicken, has become a new flagship export to the EU.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2108635/eu-allows-imports-of-indonesian-fishery-product