Claims of the European Union’s Discrimination against Indonesian Palm Oil

Retno Marsudi, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, has highlighted the issue of product discrimination against Indonesian palm oil by the European Union.

Palm Oil is a leading commodity that increasingly contributes to Indonesia’s economy with an export value in 2019 of US$23 billion.

“We know that there is discrimination against Indonesian palm oil. We have seen negative campaigns, especially in Europe,” said Retno on Thursday 19^th November.

There have also been discussions about a referendum to ban the import of Indonesian palm oil to Switzerland.

According to Retno, discriminatory actions carried out by the European Union are against the principles of partnership and collaboration between European countries and Indonesia. He noted that he’s communicated with The European Commission’s High Representative Vice President Joseph Borrell to discuss the importance of resolving the issue of discrimination.

“I discussed the importance of a stronger partnership and resolving the issue of discrimination. Indonesia has always communicated openly and treated people fairly,” as quoted by Kompas.

According to the foreign minister, Indonesia wants to build a stronger partnership with the European Union as the two parties share similar views on many issues. Apart from palm oil, the minister assured that his department would continue monitoring the status of various Indonesian commodities that had faced injustice on the global market.

“We don’t stop with palm oil. Other Indonesian commodities such as coffee, tea, and rubber have faced the same fate. We continue to stand up to defend our national interests,” he said.