Netherlands agrees to support Malaysia at next EU meeting on palm oil

The Netherlands has agreed to support Malaysia at the second meeting on the European Union’s Deforestation-free Products Regulation (EUDR) this December, says deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof.

Speaking to reporters following his meeting with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte today, Fadillah, who is also the plantation and commodities minister, said they had discussed how the Netherlands can provide its support in the context of providing rationales and the best solutions on the issue.

“This includes how they (the EU) can recognise the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme that we had developed and made mandatory for our entire palm oil production sector.

“We hope the EU will also agree to recognise the MSPO as an EUDR audit process at the meeting, which would help the palm oil industry,” he told reporters today, adding that the EUDR will come into effect within 18 months after being approved by the European Parliament.

The meeting was held in conjunction with Rutte’s two-day working visit to Malaysia that ended today.

Recently, Fadillah said the MSPO scheme aims to ensure that oil palm cultivation activities in the country do not affect the environment and are in conformance with good and sustainable agricultural practices.

“Our commitment to the world is that our forest (coverage) must not be less than 50%, so we have to balance the need for (oil palm) production without sacrificing our natural environment. This is our commitment to future generations,” he added.

Fadillah said Malaysia will host the second meeting on the EUDR this December which will determine whether the MSPO will be accepted as part of the audit process under the EUDR.

He noted that the first meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Aug 4 last year yielded some positive results for Malaysia.

Tags: European Union’s Deforestation-free Products Regulation, Production, Malaysia, palm oil, plantation, The Netherlands, MSPO, Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, EUDR