Malaysia will nominate experts to European Commission panel

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has agreed to nominate experts to sit in a European Commission panel that could impact future use of palm oil as part of the biofuel mix in Europe.

Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said she welcomed this initiative, which would allow cross consultation with palm oil producers, including Malaysian palm oil experts, on various key scientific principles under Indirect Land Use Change.

“This consultation process is important as we do not want our palm oil to be discriminated upon,” said Kok, who is leading a palm oil mission in Switzerland, Spain and Belgium.

The delegation held meetings with the European Commissioner for Environment Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, Environment, Education, Transport and Energy of the Council of the European Union director-general Dr Jaroslaw Pietras and the European External Action Services Asia Pacific managing director Gunnar Wiegand.

“An expert panel from the European Commission will be visiting Malaysia at the end of this month to hold discussions with Malaysian experts on these issues. Our experts will sit in the panel,” added Kok.

She also stressed that it was important for the expert panel to get a firsthand account of Malaysian palm oil cultivation and processing practices so that they appreciate the complexity of producing sustainable palm oil.