Brussels, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Peter Chin and European Commissioners Louis Michel (Development) and Stavros Dimas (Environment) met in Brussels on 25 September. They agreed to begin negotiations on a voluntary partnership agreement on forest law enforcement, governance and trade, which will ensure that all trade in timber between Malaysia and the EU is verified as legal. The agreement will also provide for cooperation, such as joint studies, knowledge sharing and capacity building. Mr Michel said that by taking this step, the EU and Malaysia aimed to “demonstrate that trade and good governance can reinforce each other”. Mr Dimas said the initiative was a “major milestone”, and expressed confidence that other countries would soon join Malaysia, whose “leadership” he commended. As a major exporter of timber products, Malaysia believes this agreement will further strengthen “sustainable forest management in Malaysia”, said Datuk Peter Chin.