PUTRAJAYA: Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for stronger collaboration with Malaysia to protect palm oil products threatened by a European Union (EU) trade law he termed “discrimination”.
The European parliament adopted the new legislation in April that will ban imports deemed to be driving deforestation, throwing the bloc’s trade muscle behind a global fight against climate change.
The law, which is awaiting EU member countries’ final approval, would restrict imports from around the world on coffee, cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber.
Imports that come from land deforested after Dec 31, 2020, will be prohibited in the huge EU market – the third-largest for both Indonesia and Malaysia.
“Do not let the commodities produced by Malaysia and Indonesia be discriminated against by other countries,” Widodo said at a joint press conference alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“We need to continue to strengthen this collaboration,” he said after the two leaders met in Putrajaya today.