PUTRAJAYA, Feb 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today called for the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) to be reviewed as the regulation presents complexity and challenges to the palm oil industry.
In a joint press conference with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Perdana Putra earlier today, Anwar said Malaysia has encountered some difficulties in a series of negotiations with the EU to discuss the matter.
“To do justice to this region, we have taken all the necessary measures, reforestation, including the peat soil areas, therefore they should allow us to function economically and not be so rigid,” he said.
The EU enacted the EUDR on December 6, 2022. The regulation has called for all relevant companies to abide by mandatory due diligence rules if they place their products on the EU market.
Companies are also required to prove that their products are deforestation-free and present precise geographical information on where the commodities are sourced.
Anwar stressed that Malaysia is committed to climate change issues and has been expressing this through understanding and negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has expressed interest in expanding its export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany.
“I have appealed to the President (Steinmeier) to make sure it (the interest) is enhanced,” he said.
Petronas is actively supplying LNG cargoes to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner from the EU. In 2022, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany increased by 10.9 per cent to US$13.62 billion (RM59.87 billion) compared to US$13.03 billion (RM53.99 billion) in 2021.
— Bernama
