KUALA LUMPUR – The European Union and Malaysia will continue discussions on establishing an ad-hoc task force to support the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation in Malaysia.
The EU’s Environment Director-General Florika Fink-Hooijer said the bloc and Malaysia are strategic partners that share a common objective to protect nature and biodiversity, in line with the commitments made at the historic biodiversity COP15 in Montreal.
“I am delighted that the EU and Malaysia are continuing constructive dialogues and collaborating on the environmental front. We also had the opportunity to continue the discussion on shared goals of halting deforestation and supporting the trade of sustainable commodities.”
Fink-Hooijer said this in a statement after meeting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is also plantation and commodities minister, as well as Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and business leaders, producers, smallholders, and environmental organisations.
Fink-Hooijer visited Malaysia yesterday to advance EU-Malaysia cooperation on environmental issues and as a follow-up to Malaysia’s diplomatic mission to Brussels alongside Indonesia last month.
The two nations had discussed cooperation and joint efforts concerning deforestation and environmental degradation with the EU.
During her visit, Fink-Hooijer shared perspectives and progress on the EU’s policies and gained insights from environmental activists, conservationists, and social entrepreneurs in the country.
“The EU, together with its member states, have long joined forces with Malaysian stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, to raise the standards for forest and biodiversity protection while setting the course for a circular economy.”
Fink-Hooijer said the discussion with Niz Nazmi was on multilateral environmental cooperation between the EU and Malaysia as well as the strengthening of EU-Malaysia bilateral cooperation on biodiversity and circular economy.
“The meeting will be followed by thematic exchanges in the next weeks on plastics, wildlife trafficking and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Agreement,” she said. – Bernama, June 29, 2023
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