Indonesia And Malaysia Will Meet European Union Leaders To Discuss Deforestation Regulations

Language CPOC meeting about deforestation. (photo: Instagram @airlanggahartarto_official)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Indonesia, Airlangga Hartarto, and Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Fadillah Yusof, will meet with EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss deforestation regulations policies that can have a negative impact on tropical agricultural commodities involving small farmers.

This visit was carried out in response to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) announced by the European Union in December 2022. EUDR aims to prevent deforestation caused by agricultural activities around the world.

The two ministers will explain the position of Council of Palm Oil Producting Countries (CPOPC) member countries, which include Malaysia and Indonesia, regarding the implementation of the EUDR. This regulation is considered to be able to oppress the agricultural sector, especially palm oil, and has the potential to affect the lives of millions of small farmers.

As member countries of the CPOPC, Malaysia and Indonesia are committed to being actively involved on a global platform to fight a negative campaign against palm oil from the West. They will also increase engagement with the European Union to achieve favorable results for palm oil producing countries and consumer countries.

During a meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, the two countries discussed steps that could be taken to prevent the negative impact of EUDR regulations on oil palm farmers and other commodities.

The mission is expected to reach a lucrative agreement for all parties and ensure that deforestation regulations implemented by the European Union do not burden small farmers and global supply chains.