Indonesia’s ruling party Gerindra has said President Prabowo Subianto will visit two additional European countries—Austria and Hungary—at the end of May 2026, following his state visit to France. The planned tour is being framed as part of a broader diplomatic push to strengthen Indonesia’s strategic partnerships in Europe, particularly in defence, industrial cooperation, and critical minerals supply chains.
Gerindra spokesperson Sugiat Santoso said the three European destinations—France, Austria, and Hungary—each play distinct but complementary roles in Indonesia’s long-term foreign policy interests.
France, he said, remains a key partner due to its advanced military and technological capabilities in Western Europe. According to Sugiat, access to high-end defence systems in France is not driven purely by commercial transactions but requires sustained political engagement and strategic alignment.
“The political closeness built gradually through repeated visits is an absolute requirement in working with Macron,” Sugiat said in a press statement on Friday (29/05/2026), referring to French President Emmanuel Macron.
He added that Austria serves as an industrial gateway to Central Europe, with its manufacturing base anchored in machinery, automotive production, metal processing, chemicals, and food and beverage industries. Hungary, meanwhile, has emerged as a major hub for electric vehicle (EV) battery gigafactories within the European Union, hosting large-scale investments from companies such as Samsung SDI and CATL.
Sugiat emphasised that this industrial landscape presents strategic opportunities for Indonesia, which holds approximately 65% of the world’s nickel reserves, a key raw material for EV battery production.
“Indonesia controls 65% of global nickel. Meanwhile, Europe through gigafactories in Hungary or Budapest and Austria’s technology sector is highly dependent on Indonesian nickel,” he said.
The planned visits come shortly after Prabowo held a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris. During the meeting, Prabowo said discussions covered cooperation in defence, clean energy, education, research, and the implementation of the Indonesia–European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA).
Macron, for his part, stressed that both countries are committed to expanding collaboration in culture and education. The cooperation framework includes museums, literature, film, fashion, as well as scientific, technological, and university partnerships under the France–Indonesia Innovation Year 2026 initiative.
France also expressed readiness to host more Indonesian students, researchers, and skilled professionals as part of its broader academic cooperation strategy.
“France wants to welcome more students, researchers, and talent,” Macron said during the joint remarks.
The expanded European diplomatic tour signals Indonesia’s intention to diversify its strategic partnerships beyond traditional alliances, while positioning itself more actively in global discussions on energy transition, defence procurement, and critical mineral supply chains.
Analysts view the nickel dimension as particularly significant, given Europe’s accelerating push to secure raw materials for its EV industry and reduce dependence on single-source suppliers. Indonesia’s dominance in nickel production has placed it at the center of global competition for battery manufacturing inputs.
At the same time, defence cooperation with France continues to play a central role in Jakarta’s military modernisation agenda, including fighter jet procurement and technology transfer agreements. The evolving relationship is increasingly shaped by long-term political trust rather than transactional arms deals alone.
Austria and Hungary, while less prominent in Indonesia’s traditional foreign policy focus, are now being integrated into a broader European strategy that links industrial capacity with energy transition goals. Austria’s manufacturing ecosystem and Hungary’s EV battery infrastructure are seen as complementary entry points for Indonesian exports and investment cooperation.
Prabowo’s European engagements also come at a time when Indonesia is negotiating multiple economic and strategic agreements with the European Union. The IEU–CEPA framework is expected to play a central role in reducing trade barriers and expanding market access for Indonesian commodities and manufactured goods.
Within Europe, Hungary has positioned itself as a key destination for Asian EV-related investments, leveraging incentives to attract battery producers and automotive supply chains. Austria, meanwhile, maintains strong industrial links with Germany and broader Central European manufacturing networks.
For Indonesia, the combination of resource control and expanding industrial diplomacy is increasingly viewed as a strategic asset in global negotiations. Nickel, in particular, has become a geopolitical commodity as demand rises sharply due to electric vehicle adoption and energy storage technologies.
Gerindra’s statement suggests that Indonesia’s European outreach is not limited to bilateral symbolism, but is instead tied to a coordinated strategy linking raw material exports, industrial partnerships, and defence procurement.
As Prabowo continues his European tour, attention is expected to focus on how Indonesia balances its resource diplomacy with broader geopolitical competition between major global powers seeking secure access to critical minerals and advanced manufacturing ecosystems.
