KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok today criticised the European Union's insistence on eliminating palm oil from its markets as undermining Malaysia's efforts to comply with sustainable practices and achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Instead of supporting the initiatives, Kok said the EU's continuous push to phase out palm oil from its markets is impeding the efforts of palm oil producing countries to invest in sustainability and to comply with sustainable practices.

"EU's anti-palm oil action is telling palm oil producing countries that investing in sustainability does not pay off and is futile. Malaysia has taken various efforts to invest in sustainability and comply with sustainable practices. Our forest is above our international pledge of 50% forest cover, while these critics cannot even claim the same.

"The EU should assist developing countries achieve the SDGs instead of imposing onerous rules and policies that undermine their efforts," Kok said in an interview after delivering the keynote address at the European Palm Oil Conference in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday.

In her speech, she reminded that social and economic sustainability is as important as environmental sustainability under the UN's definition of sustainability.

In a statement, the ministry said Kok also explained Malaysia's sustainability measures and strongly countered accusations levelled at palm oil in Europe.

Earlier, Kok and her delegation met members of the Spanish Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil and Spanish Biodiesel Association who expressed continued support for Malaysian certified sustainable palm oil. They highlighted Spain's emergence as a major destination for palm oil into Europe but were troubled by the intense anti-palm oil campaign in Spain.

At the end of the meeting, the parties committed to addressing the anti-palm oil campaign by jointly promoting palm oil benefits and sustainable production.

The Spanish government had also rejected an earlier EU Parliamentary motion to ban palm biofuels as contravening World Trade Organisation conventions.

Spain is an important importer of Malaysian palm oil, and imported 259,701 tonnes from January to August, an increase of 46.8% year-on-year.