European states, Malaysia seek free trade agreement
Tax-News.com | 01 December 2014
European states, Malaysia seek free trade agreement
by Mary Swire, Hong Kong
A third round of negotiations towards a broad-based free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway – and Malaysia took place in Geneva from November 25 to 28, 2014.
Negotiators discussed trade in goods, including industrial, agricultural, and fish products; trade in services; investment; trade facilitation; rules of origin; technical barriers to trade; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; government procurement; competition; cooperation; trade remedies; and legal and horizontal issues, including dispute settlement provisions. Intellectual property rights and sustainable development were not discussed during this round.
A fourth round of negotiations has been scheduled for the second quarter of 2015.
Exports from EFTA to Malaysia reached USD996m in 2012, and imports from Malaysia totaled USD867m. EFTA and Malaysia held the first round of negotiations in April 2014, with a second round of negotiations taking place just five months later.
