Joint Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing and provisional application of the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and Malaysia

Further information:

In November 2004, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate individual Framework Agreements on Partnership and Cooperation with Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Negotiations with Malaysia started in February 2011 and were concluded on 12 December 2015.

The High Representative and the Commission consider that the objectives set by the Council in its directives on the negotiation of the Agreement have been met and that the draft Agreement can be submitted for signature and conclusion.

Background:

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) is the first-ever bilateral agreement between the EU and Malaysia and supersedes the current legal framework of the 1980 Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations. The PCA contains legally binding commitments which are central to the EU’s foreign policy, including provisions on human rights, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, the International Criminal Court, migration and taxation.

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