Bisnis Indonesia, 25 April 2018
The government is strengthening dialogue with the European Union (EU) regarding the EU’s palm oil ban proposal and the acceleration of Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA). Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has negotiated with the EU this week. He said that Indonesia wanted an agreement that will benefit both parties. Indonesia didn’t come to beg or to be dictated, instead Indonesia wanted to negotiate on an equal footing and to build partnership, Luhut said on Tuesday (April 24). He explained that almost all of Indonesia’s palm oil exports have obtained international certification. According to a research from Stanford University, palm oil can reduce poverty. As many as 51% of oil palm plantations are controlled by farmers and more than 16 million people rely on palm oil, he said. He said that Indonesia isn’t attempting to retaliate by planning to stop purchasing Airbus aircraft.
