In their opinion for the Jakarta Post, Retno L.P. Marsudi and Viorel Isticioaia-Budura remind of the wide-ranging nature of the partnership between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) after the tripartite meeting of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with Herman van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Cannes on Nov 4. "We can also learn from each other on disaster management and disaster risk reduction. Both Europe and Indonesia have endured the ravages of natural disasters, from forest fires in Greece to the eruption of Mount Merapi. This suffering has focused our minds on how to avert future disasters and minimize damage such events inflict," they say.