InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – European Union (EU) announced European Union Deforestation Regulation that would be available by the late of 2024. The regulation raises protests from Indonesia and Malaysia as the two biggest palm oil producers in the world. The protests were about the concern that new environment regulation would deliver losses for smallholders that highly contribute to their agricultural exports to EU.
Indonesia and Malaysia eventually established coalition with other Southeast Asian countries to support their position in the dispute. In the recent days, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim got the support from Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin saying that Thailand is ready to cooperate with Malaysia and Indonesia. But it is afraid if other countries would join to fight.
Indonesia and Malaysia contributed 85% of palm oil production in the globe. The two countries thought that EUDR is a discrimination. They thought that the regulation would deliver unfair impacts for smallholders because they would be difficult to qualify EUDR. The two countries proposed complaint to World Trade Organization (WTO), got support to review EUDR.
EUDR would cover import ban for some products, such as, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soybean, and wood products that derived from areas in deforestation since 31 December 2020.
As quoted from DW, Thailand as the third palm oil producer in the world would get the impact from EUDR. Thought the country would join Indonesia and Malaysia, one official from Thailand indicated the impossibility namely because Thailand planned to negotiate free trade – agreement with EU.
Meanwhile the officials in European Commission mentioned that the continent would escalate the commitment to implement the new regulation effectively. The new initiative that has something to do with the issues, should be launched in the 28th United Nations conference about climate change (Conference of Parties 28) in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (30/11/2023). (T2)
