EU-Malaysia trade to match pre-pandemic levels by year-end, says ambassador

The European Union (EU) is expecting trade with Malaysia to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.

欧盟（EU）预计与马来西亚的贸易将在今年年底前恢复到大流行前的水平。

EU ambassador to Malaysia, Michalis Rokas said the political union involving 27 European countries pledges to continue to make Malaysia its strategic partner given its significant gateway to the ASEAN market.

欧盟驻马来西亚大使 Michalis Rokas 表示，鉴于马来西亚是通往东盟市场的重要门户，由 27 个欧洲国家组成的政治联盟承诺将继续把马来西亚作为其战略伙伴。

“ASEAN countries in general are a great destination. It is strategically important for us and 45% of our trade (to ASEAN) goes through Malaysia’s shores. So it is significant,” he told Bernama after appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s “The Nation” programme, entitled “Malaysia-EU Relations” on 30th January.

“总的来说，东盟国家是一个很好的目的地。这对我们来说具有重要的战略意义，我们 45% 的贸易（到东盟）都经过马来西亚的海岸，所以这很重要。”他在1月30日作为嘉宾出现在马新社电视台的“国家”节目“马来西亚 - 欧盟关系”后告诉马新社。

Rokas said the EU and Malaysia have formed a strong bilateral relationship and investment commitment for decades even before the introduction of any treaty tools or trade instrument.

Rokas说，欧盟和马来西亚几十年来已经建立了牢固的双边关系和投资承诺，甚至在引入任何条约工具或贸易文书之前。

“This means Malaysia is already a trusted partner for the EU, because of its democracy, rule of law, native English speakers, ease of doing business and skilled workforce, among others,” he said.

“这意味着马来西亚已经是欧盟值得信赖的合作伙伴，因为它的民主、法治、母语为英语、经商便利和熟练的劳动力等等，”他说。

The ambassador said the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which was signed in Brussels in December last year, would provide a major springboard that would boost EU-Malaysia trade and foreign direct investment (FDI).

大使说，去年 12 月在布鲁塞尔签署的《跨太平洋伙伴关系全面进步协定》（CPTPP）和《伙伴关系与合作协定》（PCA）将提供一个重要的跳板，促进欧盟与马来西亚的贸易和对外贸易直接投资（FDI）。

Pre-pandemic, the two-way EU-Malaysia trade amounted to over 300 billion euros but it dropped to a mere 50 billion euros after the pandemic hit amid supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and closure of factories, to name a few, he said.

他说，举个例子：大流行前，欧盟与马来西亚的双向贸易额超过 3000 亿欧元，但在供应链中断、劳动力短缺和工厂关闭等大流行病袭来后，贸易额降至仅 500 亿欧元。

Expressing his interest to be working closely with the new government under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on various reforms, Rokas said there are close to 1,500 European companies operating in Malaysia at present.

Rokas表示有兴趣与首相拿督斯里安华依布拉欣领导的新政府就各种改革密切合作，他说目前有近 1,500 家欧洲公司在马来西亚开展业务。

For future potential collaboration, he said among key areas would be in green technologies, digitalisation and cybersecurity, alongside human development, education as well as logistics and commodity manufacturing.

他说，对于未来的潜在合作，关键领域包括绿色技术、数字化和网络安全，以及人类发展、教育以及物流和商品制造。

On concerns over the EU legislative proposal on the export of certain commodities, including palm oil, and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation, he assured that there is no ban action taken by the trading bloc and import of palm oil from Malaysia will continue.

关于欧盟关于出口某些商品（包括棕榈油）以及与森林砍伐和森林退化有关的产品的立法提案的担忧，他保证贸易集团不会采取任何禁令行动，并且将继续从马来西亚进口棕榈油。

“There is nothing for Malaysia to fear because the country has strongly pledged not to deforest any longer.

“马来西亚没有什么可担心的，因为该国已强烈承诺不再砍伐森林。

“On the other hand, 97% of Malaysia’s palm oil production is covered by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) where both are certifications to stem deforestation,” he said.

“另一方面，可持续棕榈油圆桌会议（RSPO）和马来西亚可持续棕榈油（MSPO）涵盖了马来西亚 97% 的棕榈油生产，这两个组织都获得了阻止森林砍伐的认证，”他说。

He noted that engagements with the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, together with industry stakeholders would be held in the near term to discuss further issues pertaining to the industry, including the EU legislation, to the mass market.

他指出，短期内将与兼任种植和商品部长的副首相Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof以及行业利益相关者进行接触，讨论与该行业有关的进一步问题，包括欧盟立法，以大众市场。

Rokas expects the legislation to come into force in the first quarter of 2024 when operators and traders would then have 18 months to implement the new rules.

Rokas 预计该立法将于 2024 年第一季度生效，届时运营商和贸易商将有 18 个月的时间来实施新规则。