The Indonesian civil society positively welcome the recently launched regulatory proposal by the European Commission regarding the placement of commodities and products linked with deforestation and forest degradation in the EU market, while stressing the importance to ensure protection and respect of human rights including those of indigenous peoples and support independent smallholders from being excluded and adversely affected by the regulation.

The regulatory proposal that was launched on 19 November 2019 will require operators and traders in the EU to conduct due diligence measures prior to placing commodities and products in the EU market to ensure that they are free from deforestation and forest degradation. Six products included in the regulatory proposal are beef, palm oil, soybean, cacao, coffee, and timber. Currently, the proposal is being deliberated in the European Parliament and the European Union Council, and envisaged to be enacted and implemented by 2024. Indonesia itself exports four out of six products that will be regulated by the Due Diligence regulation which are: palm oil, timber, coffee and cacao and therefore will definitely be affected by the regulation.