21 February 2007

Malaysia and EU agree on an independent body

Malaysia and the EU have agreed that an independent body will be assigned the task to ascertain whether Malaysian timber products exported to EU countries are from legal sources. This independent body, to be appointed via joint consensus between Malaysia and the EU, will function as the auditing body to certify that Malaysian timber and related products exported to EU countries are those that originated from legal timber sources. This decision was reached following formal talks between the EU commissioners and Malaysian authorities in Sarawak recently. The EU delegation, led by the European Commission Director of International Affairs, Directorate of Environment, Soledad Blanco, was in Malaysia to negotiate a partnership agreement to allow Malaysian timber to gain entry into all the 25 EU