HAMBURG: Malaysia has agreed in principle to join the Climate Club, an intergovernmental forum for exchange on accelerating climate change action and industry decarbonisation.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the invitation was extended to Malaysia by German Chancellor Olaf Schulz.
"Chancellor Scholz had suggested that we work together in addressing environmental concerns.
"Malaysia has agreed in principle to the invitation, to boost the level of cooperation, as we have in other sectors such as the economy and education," he told Malaysian media at the end of his six-day official visit to Germany.
Malaysia, he said, can capitalise on this in terms of technology transfer and capacity-building.
"It will also strengthen Malaysia's profile on climate action efforts as well as commitments to fulfill obligations under the Paris Agreement," he said.
The Climate Club was launched at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), with an objective of supporting the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and its decisions.
Germany is the co-chair of the Climate Club.
Meanwhile, Anwar said Schulz, in their meeting, also expressed Germany's hope that Malaysia will swiftly finalise the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade Agreement (MEUFTA) to further spur economic cooperation.
Anwar said he had also conveyed to Schulz concerns over the impact of the implementation of the EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), which is targeting palm oil commodities.
He said he also expressed his gratitude to Schulz for Germany's readiness to act as a mediator with the EU in conveying Malaysia's concerns as well as issues pertaining to the MEUFTA and EUDR.
"We expressed our view that Europe's criticisms may be outdated and that they haven't been following the latest developments. There is no more wide-scale deforestation like before, and has been that way for years. We felt that if we were to give them the latest information, they would be more positive.
"We will use our channels with the Germans to boost understanding and cooperation to resolve this issue, which has become a cause for concern for our palm oil industry," he said.
Anwar said he had also discussed with Schulz the issue concerning the abuse of the Third Party Litigation Fund (TPLF).
Malaysia was previously locked in a legal battle with the so-called heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate, whom backed by third party funders, had launched a bid to seek billions of dollars from the government regarding its claims to Sabah.
Anwar said he has asked Germany to support existing efforts and initiatives to monitor the litigation fund industry.
