ASEM Forum For Oil Palm Lobby 

Numerous efforts have been made by the government to stop EU’s discrimination toward Indonesia`s palm oil products. Recently, the RI delegation led by Menko Kemaritiman Luhut Pandjaitan conducted a safari to the European Union to explain the position of Indonesian palm oil and request that the discrimination be revoked. Other efforts were also pursued through the Vatican to request support for the eradication. At a conference hosted by the Vatican, one of its conclusions was to reject the discrimination. Beyond that point, Indonesia can also use Forum Asia-Europe-Meeting (ASEM) to convey the message about the discrimination of palm oil products. According to Julang Pujianto, Director II of the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the response and refusal of Indonesia`s palm oil being black listed can be presented in the agenda of ASEM discussion at the ministerial level. the forum, Indonesia can convey the message of Indonesia`s importance to the palm oil industry. `In essence, Indonesia refuses European Union’s discrimination against oil palm. We urge the EU not to ban the procurement of Indonesian palm oil. We prefer to work together in the context of sustainable palm oil development. If environment issue is the thing they are concerned about, we can answer that, `said Julang in Jakarta as quoted by Tempo.co. Julang explained ASEM is a place to build economic cooperation. ASEM is also a forum for meetings and to evaluate the extent of state cooperation in both regions. ***