‘RETALIATION LIKELY IF UNFAIR TREATMENT BY EU GOES ON’

Malaysia needs to be more aggressive to address palm oil ban, says Dr M

MALAYSIA may be forced to retaliate if the European Union continues to treat the palm oil industry unfairly, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.

He, however, did not elaborate on the form of retaliation Malaysia could consider.

Dr Mahathir said the government agreed to calls for Malaysia to be more aggressive politically and economically to address the palm oil ban.

“I have written letters to all EU heads. We may need to retaliate if they continue their unfair treatment (of Malaysian palm oil),” he said after the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption meeting.

Present were Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption director-general Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed.

It was reported on Friday that Malaysia would consider retaliatory actions against European exports if the EU proceeded to implement the delegated act to phase out palm biodiesel.

This was in line with Dr Mahathir’s warning to French President Emmanuel Macron that Malaysia would consider laws to restrict imports of French products if Paris did not withdraw plans to ban palm oil biodiesel.

On Dec 19 last year, French lawmakers had voted to remove palm oil from the country’s biofuel scheme, starting next year.

In his Jan 8 letter to Macron, Dr Mahathir had stated that if France persisted in banning palm oil, Malaysia would be forced to suspend free trade talks with the EU and impose similar sanctions against French exports.

The proposed act, slated to be tabled before the European Parliament next month, supplements the EU Renewable Energy Directive II to restrict and ban palm oil biofuel altogether by 2030.