Indonesia-Malaysia Joint Mission to the EU to Discuss Deforestation Law
Indonesia and Malaysia have delayed a joint mission to the European Union to advocate for greater market access for their domestic palm oil producers and discuss potential amendments to the bloc’s Deforestation-Free Products Regulation. As of May 16, enterprises registered in EU member nations will be barred from importing various agricultural products—including palm oil—without proof of production on land not deforested after 2020.
Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto has stated that the EU has limited market access to large, multinational corporations with the financial underpinnings to afford the extensive deforestation screening mandated by the regulation. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantations and Commodities, Fadillah Yusof, has asserted that the regulation places “punitive and unfair” restrictions on the export capabilities of small palm oil producers who may not be able to provide sufficient proof of deforestation-free production.