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Switzerland moves towards referendum on Malaysia trade deal amid palm oil, labour concerns

GENEVA, Oct 5 — Switzerland looks on course Monday to hold a referendum on a trade deal with Malaysia, with opponents believing the agreement endangers tropical rainforests and...

Malay MailMalay Mail2026-10-05 18:36查看原文 ↗

Switzerland is heading towards a referendum on a trade deal with Malaysia, with concerns over rainforest destruction and forced labour being central issues.

Campaigners submitted 85,000 signatures, surpassing the 50,000 needed to trigger a referendum under the Swiss direct democracy system.

The trade agreement between Malaysia and the European Free Trade Association includes provisions on environmental protection and labour rights, and concerns were raised about its impact on palm oil tariffs.

GENEVA, Oct 5 — Switzerland looks on course Monday to hold a referendum on a trade deal with Malaysia, with opponents believing the agreement endangers tropical rainforests and lacks proper safeguards against forced labour.

Campaigners handed in 85,000 signatures at the parliament buildings in the Swiss capital Bern on Monday, public broadcaster RTS said.

To trigger a referendum under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, 50,000 valid signatures must be collected within 100 days of publication of a new law. The Swiss parliament completed its approval of the trade deal in June.

The authorities will now have to verify the signatures.

If approved, the referendum would likely go ahead in the first half of 2027.

The free trade agreement is between Malaysia and the European Free Trade Association that brings together Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, all countries outside the European Union.

The EFTA-Malaysia Economic Partnership Agreement was signed at EFTA’s ministerial meeting in Tromso, Norway, in June 2025.

Negotiations began in 2012.

The agreement comes into effect once the domestic ratification processes in the contracting states have been completed, Switzerland said when the deal was signed.

“For Malaysian palm oil, Switzerland has agreed to a market-compatible and quota-based reduction in tariffs so as not to adversely affect domestic production of vegetable oils,” authorities said at the time.

“The agreement also includes a comprehensive section on environmental protection and labour rights. Among other things, it contains specific provisions to ensure that palm oil traded under the agreement is produced sustainably.”

In Switzerland, palm oil is primarily used in processed foods, cosmetics and cleaning products.

The Alliance Against Tropical Deforestation umbrella organisation led the collection of signatures against the deal.

The agreement “plans to lower tariffs on 12,500 tonnes of palm oil, without effective measures against rainforest deforestation and forced labour”, the alliance says.

“In doing so, Switzerland is helping to accelerate the destruction of a rainforest in Malaysia that is already critically threatened, while jeopardising the rights of plantation workers and indigenous communities.

“Furthermore, this agreement risks restricting the right of farming families to freely save and exchange their seeds,” it claims.

According to EFTA figures, Switzerland exported €890 million (RM4.08 billion) of goods to Malaysia in 2025, led by pharmaceutical products, (€255 million) and machinery and mechanical appliances (€191 million).

Imports from Malaysia to Switzerland were worth €622 million, led by electrical machinery (€244 millon) and machinery and mechanical appliances (€109 million). — AFP

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瑞士即将就与马来西亚的贸易协定举行全民公投，雨林破坏和强迫劳动问题是核心议题。

活动人士提交了 85,000 个签名，超过了根据瑞士直接民主制度触发全民公投所需的 50,000 个签名。

马来西亚与欧洲自由贸易联盟之间的贸易协定包含有关环境保护和劳工权利的条款，人们对该协定对棕榈油关税的影响表示担忧。

日内瓦，10 月 5 日——瑞士周一似乎将按计划就与马来西亚的贸易协定举行全民公投，反对者认为该协定危及热带雨林，并且缺乏防止强迫劳动的适当保障措施。

瑞士公共广播公司RTS报道称，周一，活动人士在瑞士首都伯尔尼的议会大楼递交了85000个签名。

根据瑞士的直接民主制度，一项新法律公布后100天内，必须收集到5万个有效签名才能启动全民公投。瑞士议会已于6月完成对该贸易协议的批准。