Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Trade Ministry stated that the Indonesian government, along with 17 like-minded nations, has consistently raised concerns about the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), also known as the Anti-Deforestation Law, in various international forums.

Director General of International Trade Negotiations, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday, said that Indonesia will continue to stress that the EUDR has the potential to create trade barriers and negatively impact developing countries.

In various WTO meetings, Indonesia has emphasized that the EUDR could disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly small farmers and MSMEs, and create trade barriers that contradict the WTO’s principle of non-discrimination, Witjaksono stated.

The Indonesian government, through its embassy, has also mobilized 17 like-minded countries to jointly criticize and urge the European Union to review the EUDR policy.

These countries include Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, and Thailand.

According to Witjaksono, there is currently a lack of clarity regarding the implementation of the EUDR, particularly concerning definitions of deforestation, forest degradation, country risk classification, and technical guidelines.

Indonesia encourages deforestation mitigation to be pursued through an inclusive, multilateral approach that recognizes national systems as credible compliance mechanisms, rather than unilateral measures that ignore regulatory differences and producer capacities, he added.

The European Union plans to implement the EUDR in December 2025 for seven key commodities and their derivatives, including palm oil, timber, coffee, cocoa, rubber, soybeans, and livestock products.

Trade Minister Budi Santoso, speaking in Belgium last July, noted that the EU appeared to be softening its stance on the EUDR as negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) near completion.

Santoso said that issues like the EUDR are beginning to ease, as the EU shows a strong desire to build a long-term partnership with Indonesia.

As a result, the government is now focusing on finalizing the IEU-CEPA to strengthen trade relations between the two parties.



Related news: EU eases deforestation rules: Indonesian Trade Minister

Translator: Maria Cicilia Galuh Prayudhia, Cindy Frishanti Oct
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2025