REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- The German Parliament has praised Indonesia for the efforts it made to extinguish the forest fires and mitigate the situation arising as a result thereof.

The German Parliament's appreciation came during Focus Group Discussions (FGD) on Indonesia's Sustainable Palm Oil sector, held in Bundestag Building, Germany, on Saturday.

The discussion was organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Germany and the German Parliament (Bundestag), the First Secretary of Cultural Social and Information of the Embassy, Fattah Hardiwinangun, told Antara.

The German Parliament appreciates the efforts undertaken by the Indonesian government to extinguish the forest fires that had become the worst disaster and claimed the lives of Indonesians besides impacting neighboring countries.

The discussion was aimed to give explanation to the German Parliament about oil palm products.

The German Parliament is aware of the difficulties experienced by the Indonesian government in extinguishing the forest fires, particularly in the peat land areas.

The parliament stated that as one of the biggest palm oil consumers in Europe, Germany needs the supply of this commodity sourced from sustainable sources. Germany needs palm oil for several industries, such as bio-fuel, food, medicine and cosmetics.

The European Union is the third biggest market for Indonesian palm oil where the total export volume in 2014 reached 3.5 million tons, worth USD2.2 billion.

However, the palm oil from Indonesia has been facing some negative campaign in the European Union.

According to the Deputy Chief at the Mission of the Indonesian Embassy, Pramono, the challenge to Indonesia's palm oil sector is more of a political challenge.

The forest fires that occurred in Indonesia in recent months should be considered a natural disaster.

The El Nino weather condition, violations of laws, and a low level of awareness about environment were among the factors responsible, and a more comprehensive management strategy is required to avoid any recurrence of such fires in the future.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo in October launched efforts to make palm oil and its derivatives prime movers of Indonesian exports.

Pramono said the palm oil products are considered an important tool for Indonesian economic diplomacy in Europe.

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