Trade Minister Unsatisfied With New EU Policy

Indonesian Trade Minister is not fully satisfied with EU policy to phase-out the use of palm oil in transport fuels from 2030 since it merely means delay the ban, not a halt.

Trade Minister Unsatisfied With New EU Policy

JAKARTA-- Indonesian Trade Minister is not fully satisfied with EU policy to phase-out the use of palm oil in transport fuels from 2030 since it merely means delay the ban, not a halt.

"There should be no more ban. Suppose we banned their Airbus export in 2030, of course it would not be good for the EU. Suppose we banned their wine export in 2030, this would not be good either," said Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita, Friday (22/6/2018).

Enggartiasto totally opposes the claim that oil palm is a major cause and driver of deforestation.  The claim is baseless and not fully substantiated. In fact, livestock production in Europe may have a bigger impact on the planet than anything else. "If Europe doesn’t want a trade war, don’t ever start it because it is not good enough.”

On 14 June 2018, an ambitious political agreement on increasing renewable energy use in Europe was reached between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (EU Member States).

The new regulatory framework includes a binding renewable energy target for the EU of at least 32% by 2030 against 27% so far, and maybe higher after a 2023 review. ***