Brussels, 16/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to the spokesman for European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, John Clancy, the European Commission is ready to launch negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia, if Kuala Lumpur is willing. “We believe that such an agreement would create new opportunities for European and Malaysian companies”, he explained during an interview with AFP. According to the EU/Malaysia Chamber of Trade and Industry, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is the second largest EU trading partner in the ASEAN bloc, after Singapore. In early March, the Commission initiated talks for an FTA between the EU and Singapore, and it is also contemplating negotiations for an FTA with Vietnam. (E.H./transl.jl)