BRUSSELS – Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof arrived in Brussels, Belgium, at 5.30am Malaysia time today for an official visit and trade mission to the European Union.
Joining him in his first visit to Europe since taking office are Malaysian Palm Oil Board chair Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha, Malaysian Palm Oil Council chair Datuk Carl Bek-Nielsen, as well as Sarawak’s Deputy Town Planning, Land Administration, and Environment Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
The trip to the EU is a joint mission with Indonesia’s government under the Council of Palm Producing Countries (CPOPC).
On February 9, 2023, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Fadillah, who is also plantation and commodities minister, and Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s economic affairs coordinating minister, mutually agreed to protect the interests of the palm oil sector by stepping up efforts to fight discrimination against the product.
This is in response to the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), announced by the EU on December 6, 2022, which aims to prevent deforestation due to agricultural activities.
During the mission in Brussels both ministers are expected to hold various meetings and engagement sessions with the EU’s top leaders to explain CPOPC’s stand on the implementation of the EUDR, which not only targets the palm oil industry but also affects the livelihood of millions of smallholders.
As a member of CPOPC, Malaysia says it is committed to actively participating in the platform and continuing to counter Western countries’ negative campaign on palm oil.
From Brussels, Fadillah will be heading to London in the United Kingdom on Wednesday for a four-day working visit.
In London, he will hold meetings with several ministers responsible for the UK’s agri-commodity sector and other ministers.
He is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the International Sustainable Palm Oil Forum, organised by the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific and Malaysia-Link UK.
He will also visit the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre, one of the world’s leading rubber research and development centres.
The UK is Malaysia’s 23rd-most-important trading partner. – Bernama, May 29, 2023
