A SPECIFIC mission to the European Union must be established to help solve the challenges facing Malaysia’s palm oil industry, says Belgian ambassador to Malaysia Daniel Dargent.

Dargent said a dedicated EU embassy would play a vital role for both Belgium and Malaysia.

“I think it would be a good point for this country to open up an embassy specifically in charge for the EU, like the one EU currently has in Malaysia,” he said.

“The EU is an official body and there are many embassies accredited to it. It is best to establish one to facilitate more direct links and contacts with EU counterparts, not just amongst foreign ministries, for exchanges and enhanced progress.”

Dargent said that things should go well with the new Malaysian government, as it was open to working with the EU.

Last week, Primary Industries Deputy Minister Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said Malaysia was open and willing to collaborate with European countries to create greater consumer awareness on sustainable palm oil production and its health benefits.

He was responding to recent remarks by France’s ambassador to Malaysia, Frederic Laplanche, who said that public EU opinion on palm oil was still negative due to concerns on climate change, environmental protection, and biodiversity conservation.

Shamsul Iskandar said Malaysia hoped that Laplanche and the entire EU diplomatic community in Malaysia would continue to work with the Primary Industries Ministry to better inform detractors of the palm oil industry.

On the EU’s negative public opinion on climate change and the environment, Dargent said Malaysia had its own practices in dealing with such matters.

“As far as environmental issues are concerned, I think it is a global question where every country involved has its own way of protecting the planet and biodiversity issues of their land.

“I personally think that more discussions and new approaches can be pursued with the new Malaysian government today,” Dargent said.

In January, the EU Parliament voted in favour of a draft law on renewable energy that called for the use of palm oil in biofuels to be banned from 2021, a decision that could affect millions of oil palm growers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

The EU reasoned that the widely-used commodity would derail Europe’s ambitions to green its transport sector if used as a biodiesel.

Malaysia’s palm oil industry received a brief respite recently after the EU softened its stance on the use of palm oil among its member countries by omitting any mention of the commodity in the EU’s updated Renewable Energy Direc­tive.

The omission came after an agreement was reached during a “trilogue” involving the EU Parliament, European Council, and European Commission on June 14.

According to an earlier proposal, a palm biofuel ban by 2021 was to be included in the directive.

The commodity is Malaysia’s top export to the EU, representing 49% of the region’s imports. – Bernama, July 31, 2018.