THERE will be another trip to Europe in April as an effort to oppose the European Union’s (EU) latest move to ban palm oil in biofuels by 2021, said Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Mah Siew Keong.

Mah, who had just returned from Europe yesterday, said he would lead a Malaysian delegation to Europe for the Malaysia-EU Palm Oil Consultation programme in April.

“We discussed the issue in Spain, Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom, most of the countries I visited over the past week.

“They gave me their commitment that they would be against the discrimination of palm oil.

“We can count on their support when the European Parliament representatives and the council of ministers decide. Of course, there are a few countries we need to meet again,” he said at Gerakan’s Chinese New Year celebration in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mah, who is also Gerakan president, said a senior officers’ meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia is scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur next week to discuss the matter.

Mah said the ban would have an adverse affect on the livelihoods of more than 650,000 Malaysian oil palm smallholders as 40% of palm oil in the country is planted by smallholders.

On January 17, the European Parliament voted to phase out palm oil biofuels from the EU energy mix after 2020.

Thailand, the third-largest palm oil producer in the world, had recently joined Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s top producer, in rejecting the EU’s plan.

International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said the latest move by the EU was potentially in violation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

Mustapa said the move could be considered discriminatory against palm oil-producing countries.

Other countries that had spoken out against the move are Spain, France, Sweden, the UK (Conservative MPs – part of the governing party of Prime Minister Theresa May), Germany and the Netherlands. – February 16, 2018.