According to the European Union’s recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), the EU aims to phase out feedstock biofuels that involve high indirect land-use change (ILUC) by 2030, which includes crude palm oil only. Indonesia, the world’s leading producer of crude palm oil, contests this regulation, claiming that the classification of biofuels as being produced with high- or low-risk ILUC is discriminatory and inherently protectionist. This study examines the critical ambiguities of protectionism and sustainability, using a legal framework to empirically ascertain the nature of RED II and Indonesia’s institutional response. Southeast Asian palm oil and European vegetable oils (such as rapeseed and sunflower oils) are considered ‘like products’ under World Trade Organization criteria that emphasise product-related process and production methods. RED II has the potential to qualify for exemptions under GATT article XX. However, the extraterritoriality of RED II, which aims to reduce emissions, is contested, as is the unilateral nature of the ILUC risk measurements.

根据欧盟重新制定的可再生能源指令 (RED II)，欧盟的目标是到 2030 年逐步淘汰涉及高度间接土地利用变化 (ILUC) 的原料生物燃料，其中仅包括粗棕榈油。世界领先的毛棕榈油生产国印度尼西亚对这一规定提出质疑，声称将生物燃料归类为使用高风险或低风险 ILUC 生产的生物燃料具有歧视性，并且本质上是保护主义。本研究探讨了保护主义和可持续性的严重模糊性，使用法律框架来实证确定 RED II 的性质和印度尼西亚的制度反应。根据世界贸易组织的标准，东南亚棕榈油和欧洲植物油（如菜籽油和葵花籽油）被视为“同类产品”，该标准强调与产品相关的工艺和生产方法。RED II 有资格获得 GATT 第 XX 条下的豁免。然而，旨在减少排放的 RED II 的治外法权受到质疑，ILUC 风险测量的单边性质也是如此。