THE Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, tomorrow leads an EU troika to Indonesia. The delegation will represent EU concerns about Asian trading advantages from cheap labour, tariff barriers, lower industrial standards, and lack of intellectual property protection.
Access to services markets in ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations), which is divided about the pace of economic liberalisation, is another issue.
The Tanaiste is also likely to raise with ASEAN ministers the thorny issue of East Timor, over which he and his Indonesian counterpart, Mr Ali Alatas, clashed last year. Mr Alatas called the Irish position on the former Portuguese colony, invaded by Indonesia in 1975, "tantamount to a declaration of war".
International censure of Indonesia's occupation grew earlier this month when 14 non EU European countries associated themselves with the EU's Common Position on East Timor.
Irish trade with Indonesia has been growing significantly, especially in services by Irish semi state companies. The relationship is still significantly in Indonesia's favour but the trend is towards Irish exporters.
ASEAN exports to the EU have grown annually by about 20 per cent since the mid 1980s, but last year EU exports to ASEAN also rose by 20 per cent. In 1994, EU imports cost £24.68 billion and its exports to ASEAN were worth £22.68 billion.
Indonesia sells to Ireland nearly £36 million worth of goods. Almost half of it is in clothes and sports wear.
Since 1994, the EU has officially regarded the relationship with ASEAN as presenting strategical opportunities rather than posing threats. The EU Common Position on East Timor is likely to be seen - especially by the union's most powerful members and arms trading countries - as a way of persuading Portugal to lift its objection to resumption of economic co operation negotiations frozen since 1991, because of East Timor. These talks would upgrade a 1980 EU ASEAN cooperation agreement.
Total merchandise trade with Ireland is small. But exports in 1995, at almost £13 million, showed a 43.7 per cent increase over the previous year, while Indonesian sales to Ireland fell by 6.9 per cent. Combined trade between the two showed a 10 fold increase during the 1980s and was almost £49 million in 1995, representing a £12 million growth in three years.
ESB International, with contracts worth £4 million for design and project management work on two new power stations, is among several semi state companies which have been involved in Indonesian consultancies. Their earnings are not included in figures for merchandise trade.