During a bilateral meeting with European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed Indonesia‘s strong objections to the EU’s anti-deforestation policies.
President Jokowi took the opportunity on May 21, 2023, to highlight Indonesia‘s concerns as the world’s largest palm oil producer and exporter regarding the EU’s anti-deforestation policy, which has now become law.
Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia had consistently voiced its objections since the early stages of policy discussions, even before it was enacted into law.
He underscored that Indonesia had made significant progress in reducing deforestation rates, achieving a 75% decrease from previous levels, despite maintaining palm oil as a vital global trade commodity.
“Indonesia‘s deforestation rate for 2019-2020 has fallen by 75% to 115 thousand hectares. This is the lowest rate since 1990 and continues to decline,” Jokowi stated.
The EU’s anti-deforestation regulations are perceived as posing challenges for Indonesia‘s trade relations with Europe, particularly concerning palm oil, which has been a crucial component of Indonesian trade.
Jokowi revealed that Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s two largest palm oil-producing countries, would jointly embark on a mission to Brussels to formally convey their objections to various EU regulations that are deemed detrimental.
The aim is to present concrete data that can provide input to the European Union, hoping it will be considered in the formulation of objective policies that do not discriminate against the main commodities of the two countries.
Source: jakartadaily
