The EU-Indonesia deal reportedly includes a zero tariff for palm oil within a limited quota. Fournier regrets that this concession by Brussels will likely “not be linked to sustainability requirements.”
Indonesia’s most important agricultural commodities – palm oil, coffee, rubber and cocoa – will all be covered [ the EU’s anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR) ], with importers having to prove with geolocation data that these have not contributed to deforestation … Indonesian diplomats [said] that the trade deal would not directly tackle EUDR compliance.
We need more regulations like that, especially a transparent supply chain law that is enforced. Unfortunately, there are some large multinationals and some governments (particularly China) that are lobbying heavily against this.