Amidst the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) held in Bali, Indonesia has seized the opportunity to engage in bilateral meetings, expressing shared concerns regarding the implementation of the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR).
Acting Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), Agus Justianto, revealed that during the 10th WWF, the Indonesian delegation took the chance to diplomatically engage with several friendly nations, including Finland and the European Union (EU).
During the bilateral talks with Finland, after addressing various aspects of forestry issues, including sustainable forest management and biodiversity, Agus Justianto directed the discussion towards the implementation of EUDR, considering Finland as a member state of the EU.
To Indonesia’s surprise, Finland, expressed discontent with the progress of EUDR. Finland’s stance aligns with Indonesia’s, particularly regarding EUDR as a non-tariff barrier in trade.
Finland also encountered several challenges in implementing EUDR. Despite being one of the largest forest owners in the EU, Finland expressed readiness to collaborate with Indonesia in devising strategies to anticipate EUDR.
“We didn’t expect Finland to express their dissatisfaction with the policy (EUDR). This serves as a momentum for Indonesia to conduct bilateral meetings and further communicate to provide input in the implementation of EUDR,” stated Agus during the WWF event in Bali, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
EUDR set to take effect on January 1, 2025. EUDR regulates that imports of seven commodities into the EU market must originate from deforestation-free land. These commodities include beef, soybeans, coffee, cocoa, wood, palm oil, rubber, and their derivatives. As a reference for EUDR implementation, the EU has issued the Global Forest Map (GFM) in 2020 on the European Union Forest Observatory (EUFO) platform.
During the bilateral meeting with the EU delegation, the Indonesian delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry, Alue Dohong, engaged with Director General of Environment, Florika Fink-Hooijer, from the EU side.
In this meeting, the Deputy Minister conveyed that EUDR would have serious implications for trade between Indonesia and the EU, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The Deputy Minister pointed out that although EUFO is not legally binding, importers in the EU have begun to require geolocation and deforestation-free statements from this map. Therefore, EUFO, which will be finalized by the end of this year before EUDR implementation, must be accurate and respect the thematic maps owned by Indonesia.
During the bilateral meeting, Director General Agus emphasized that EUFO, as the basic reference map for determining country risk assessment and deforestation and degradation-free areas, must have high accuracy and be agreed upon by both parties.
As a follow-up to the bilateral meeting, the EU delegation promised to provide an opportunity for Indonesian technical teams to discuss building understanding regarding the EUFO reference map. Additionally, the EU agreed to follow up on the preparation of a roadmap to ensure EUDR acceptance by Indonesia. The development of this bilateral collaboration roadmap aligns with Article 30 of EUDR. ***
