13/06/2025
Mandag 23. juni møtes EFTA-statene i Tromsø for EFTAs årlige ministermøte. På dette møtet har de flagget at de kommer til å signere en handelsavtale med Malaysia. Etter å fått innsikt i et lekket dokument ser det ut til at avtalen inneholder flere skadelige bestemmelser og det er spesielt stort press fra Malaysisk sivilsamfunn.
Nå håper vi at Norge tar ansvar og hører på både oss, Sveitsisk og Malaysisk sivilsamfunn og får disse skadelige bestemmelsene ut før signering.
🇲🇾 Don’t Trade Away our Health, Farmers’ Rights & Sovereignty!
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (),
Cc:
Malaysia is on the verge of signing a trade deal with EFTA comprising Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. EFTA countries have a combined population and market significantly smaller than Malaysia.
A leaked IP chapter of MEEPA reveals Malaysia is open to making major concessions that will threaten our public health, food sovereignty, and legal autonomy. While economic benefits are minimal, the costs are dangerously high.
🔹 TRIPS-plus intellectual property rules:
The leaked IP chapter locks in IP obligations beyond WTO rules (TRIPS-plus). TRIPS-plus obligations mean longer IP monopolies and consequently higher IP imports with higher royalty payments, harming Malaysia’s economy.
🔹 TRIPS plus = More IP monopolies, higher medicine prices, less generics and less access:
The deal will delay generic competition, and hinder access to affordable medicines, consequently increasing costs for MOH budgets and out of pocket health expenses.
🔹 Seed systems & farmers’ rights under threat:
This deal pushes Malaysia toward joining UPOV 1991, a rigid legal framework that experts agree is not suitable for developing countries and would strip Malaysian farmers of their right to freely save, use, exchange and sell seeds. Even Norway and Liechtenstein have not joined UPOV 1991.
📣 Our demands are clear:
❌ Remove all TRIPS-plus obligations
❌ No commitment to UPOV 1991
✅ Full transparency, public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny
✅ Preserve our right to use to the full TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health and farmers’ rights.
This is not a fair deal. It is a one-sided agreement that will benefit wealthy EFTA countries at Malaysia’s expense. We urge you, don’t fall for false promises. Don’t Trade Away our Health, Farmers’ Rights & Sovereignty!
See a full explanation of our concerns ▶️https://tinyurl.com/3ds9md43