It appears that the Peninsular Malaysia states (11 states and two federal territories) and the state of Sabah are likely to be the first to conclude a VPA and that the Malaysian state of Sarawak will make arrangements to participate in a VPA later.
Because Malaysia has not yet concluded the VPA negotiations no FLEGT licensed timber is available for export from Malaysia to the EU.
The result of this is that, since the coming into force of the EUTR in March this year, Malaysian exporters have to provide evidence of the legality of exported wood products to EU importers so they can satisfy the due diligence requirements of the EUTR.
To ensure an uninterrupted flow of wood product exports to the EU until a VPA is concluded the Malaysian government has launched its Malaysian Timber Legality Assurance System (MYTLAS) as a credible domestic system to verify the legality of Malaysian wood products.
Though based on the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) developed under the framework of the FLEGT VPA negotiations with the the EU, MYTLAS and its implementation is a Malaysian initiative without linkage to the EU FLEGT VPA.
Implementation of MYTLAS is subjected to a third party annual auditing to ensure its credibility and acceptance by EU operators in meeting the EUTR due diligence requirements.
The MYTLAS is operated by the Malaysia Timber Industry Board (MTIB) for exporters in Peninsular Malaysia while for exporters in Sabah the MYTLAS will be implemented by the Sabah Forestry Department.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Nurmala Abdul Rahim, announced the formation of a MYTLAS Advisory Group comprising forestry experts and key MYLAS implementing agencies.
Nurmala said “the advisory group will consider all aspects in the implementation of MYTLAS and measures to improve it taking into account feedback from stakeholders, market response and capacity building needs”.