Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when discussions on strengthening ties between the EU and Malaysia are next scheduled to be discussed at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. [38607/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is responsible for the EU's external action, which includes foreign policy, defence and security, trade, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Malaysia is not typically discussed at the FAC.

EU-Malaysia relations are typically addressed in the context of Ministerial meetings between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU. The most recent of these took place in Brussels on 2 February 2024, and Ireland was represented by Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Seán Fleming TD.

The EU and Malaysia share a close partnership grounded in strong mutual interests in areas including trade, sustainable development and human rights. On 14 December 2022, the EU and Malaysia signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) during the inaugural ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit held in Brussels. This was the first bilateral agreement of its kind between the EU and Malaysia and was a significant step in EU-Malaysian relations. The PCA provides a framework for enhancing EU-Malaysia bilateral cooperation and dialogue in areas including trade, energy and politics, among many others. On 2 August 2023, my Department notified the Council of the European Union that Ireland had completed the legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of the PCA.

In addition to the PCA, the EU has engagement with Malaysia through the European Commission’s Global Gateway Initiative and the EU Indo-Pacific Strategy. A Cooperation Facility for Malaysia worth €20 million per annum for 2021-2027 is also in place and will support continued engagement.

In line with the Government’s Asia Pacific Strategy, my Department aims to strengthen and deepen its engagement with countries in South East Asia, including Malaysia. Relations between the two countries are longstanding and the Irish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur opened in 1995 as Ireland’s first Embassy in South East Asia.