European Delegation In Talks With Malaysian Govt On Reform, Green Transition And Cooperation
By Zufazlin Baharuddin
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- A European business delegation held a series of meetings with Malaysian government agencies this week to discuss reform initiatives, the green transition, and opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) executive director Chris Humphrey said the three-day visit from Aug 4-6 allowed its members to hear directly from ministers and senior officials on policy direction, seek clarification on rules and regulations and show support for Malaysia's ongoing reform agenda.
“For instance, at the Economy Ministry yesterday, we received clarifications on some of the ongoing reform packages. We showed our support for Malaysia's green transition, and issues on sustainable development, circular economy development and digitalisation,” he told Bernama.
“Today at the Finance Ministry, we discussed issues of financing, taxation, government procurement and the country’s investment climate. The mood has been extremely positive,” he said.
EU-ABC visit aims to strengthen trade and investment ties between Malaysia and Europe through in-depth dialogue, with European companies keen to explore investment opportunities across key growth sectors.
The delegation comprises more than 25 European companies and over 70 delegates.
Yesterday, the delegation met Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, and Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
Today, the delegation met Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong and Energy Transition and Water Transformation Secretary-General Datuk Seri Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli.
The delegation is expected to meet representatives from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department tomorrow. They will also meet representatives from the Agriculture and Food Security, Transport, Digital, Health and Tourism, Arts and Culture ministries.
They will discuss improving customs procedures, expediting customs clearances and custom digitalisation. The other item on the agenda is working with the Customs Department to help stamp out illicit trade, particularly tobacco products, which is a major problem in Malaysia, Humphrey said.
“At the Health Ministry, it is about how European businesses can help support Malaysia's healthcare needs going forward.
“Our members are more than willing to discuss innovative financing mechanisms, the availability of medicines and the promotion of self-care,” he said.
Humphrey said Malaysia's strategic location, strong infrastructure and connectivity, skilled workforce, natural resources and land made it an attractive destination for European investment.
Hence, he said European business leaders welcomed the continued progress in Malaysia-EU free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, with both sides targeting to finalise the pact by 2027.
“There is real momentum building up. They have already completed four rounds; a fifth round is coming up in September, and a potential sixth round before the end of the year.
“We firmly believe there is sufficient momentum to conclude the FTA by this time next year,” he said.
The next round of negotiations will be held from Sept 21-25 in Brussels, Belgium.
The EU is one of Malaysia’s five largest trading partners. Bilateral trade in goods reached €48.9 billion in 2025, comprising €30.3 billion of Malaysian exports and €18.6 billion of EU exports to Malaysia.
Malaysia is also a leading investment destination for the EU. European investment stock in Malaysia reached €33.1 billion in 2024.
-- BERNAMA