ScandAsia | 23 October 2022
EFTA and Malaysia met for 13th round of FTA-negotiations
by Jeannette Hinrup
Malaysia and member states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) met last week for a 13th round of negotiations on an Economic Partnership Agreement. This was published by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The negotiations included in-depth discussions on trade of goods and services, competition, rules of origin, investments, government procurement, trade and sustainable development, intellectual property rights and capacity building.
The Embassy expressed the round was productive and that progress was made in most areas.
The EFTA is an intergovernmental organization set up in 1960 for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members. The EFTA States signed a joint declaration on cooperation with Malaysia in 2012 while negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were launched in 2021.
FTAs between partnering countries can help companies entering and competing more easily in the global marketplace through reduced barriers.