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ndonesia should consider reviewing its palm oil standards to make them more widely acceptable, especially in European Union member states after a palm oil shipment was recently disrupted by protestors.

The EU “strongly encourages” the Indonesian government to review the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification standard and make it more responsible and transparent by involving civil society organizations (CSO), EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guérend said.

“When we talk about free markets, it is important to convince consumers that the [palm oil] industry is implementing sustainable practices,” he said in a press briefing on Tuesday evening in Jakarta.

The EU, according to Guérend, does not set any specific standards for palm oil. Yet, as the second-largest importer of Indonesian palm oil after India, the EU is encouraging producing countries to impose credible and strong standards valued by consumers.

He added that instead of the ISPO, which was implemented by 15 percent of palm oil producers in Indonesia, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was more globally recognized.

Founded in 2004, about 40 percent of the world’s palm oil producers are RSPO members, in addition to many product manufacturers, retailers and NGOs engaged in environmental and social sectors.

Meanwhile, the ISPO was set up by the Indonesian government in 2011 and has often been criticized for the lack of involvement of CSOs in its preparation.

Based on data compiled by the ISPO Secretariat, there were 2.1 million hectares of oil palm plantations that were ISPO certified in Indonesia in 2017.

The RSPO has certified 2.51 million ha and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil has certified 518,793 ha.

However, this number is relatively small compared to Indonesia’s total size of oil palm plantations that cover 14 million ha.

Guérend further said certification was an important element in the palm oil industry because more and more customers, especially in Europe, had awareness on sustainability in regard to industries that had a major impact on the environment.

He pointed to Greenpeace’s protest in November on a tanker carrying palm oil from Dumai, Riau, to Europe as showing the “very strong awareness” and sensitivity on climate change and deforestation among European youth, he said.

The vessel was in the Bay of Cádiz in Spain when activists boarded and unfurled banners that read “Save Our Rainforest” and “Drop Dirty Palm Oil”.

“This concern among the youth has to be addressed. We advise [stakeholders] to take this seriously; to explain better to consumers what [the industry is] doing for responsible and sustainable palm oil,” said Guérend.

He, however, maintained that the EU did not condemn nor support the action but acknowledged that the activists had “good materials and stories to tell.”

Guérend also revealed the EU’s plan in 2019 to conclude and sign a comprehensive air transportation agreement.

Undergoing negotiation for the past two years, the agreement highlights, among other things, joint air transportation safety standards between ASEAN and Europe.

Previously, the EU had signed similar agreements with Turkey and Morocco, he said, adding that the EU also aimed at restarting discussions on the EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in the future.

The EU has also collaborated in defense and security, with a recent four-day seminar bringing both European and Indonesian experts and scholars together to discuss various topics from cybercrime to maritime security.