JAKARTA, Feb 8 – Both Indonesia and Malaysia are of the view that the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will harm their economic interests as major producers and exporters of crude palm oil (CPO).
“Malaysia and Indonesia should voice their concern about our nation’s economic interest and that the (European Union’s) deforestation regulation (is intended to) restrict the import of our palm oil to their countries,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad bin Hasan said at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
He added that this shared stance is due to Indonesia and Malaysia having the same economic interest in exporting CPO to European Union countries.
Indonesia and Malaysia believe that the EUDR would benefit only vegetable oil commodities in the European market, he informed.
“We should make our voice heard as it is clear that the regulation is not enacted with good faith as it is only to benefit other (oil) products,” he added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi affirmed that Indonesia and Malaysia share the same stance on the deforestation regulation and the economic interest in the CPO export market in Europe.
She said that Indonesia and Malaysia made their stance regarding the EUDR clear during the 24th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on February 2, 2024.
“We also have the same stance regarding the palm oil issue, as well as the EU Deforestation Regulation we discussed earlier with the European Union. We have made our stance regarding the palm oil issue clear,” Marsudi informed.
Earlier, expert staff at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Musdhalifah Machmud, said that the Indonesian government is hoping for a concrete solution from the Ad Hoc Joint Task Force (JTF) on EUDR, such as delayed EUDR implementation.
During the 2nd meeting of the Ad Hoc JTF on the EUDR, which was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on February 2, Machmud said that the request for the delay was made for the sake of plantation smallholders.
