
Welcoming his guest in Hanoi, the host leader said despite the serious impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and disrupted regional and global supply chains, economic and trade ties between Vietnam and the EU are growing well thank to the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Meanwhile, though the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) has been ratified by just 12 EU members and yet to come into force, businesses and investors from the EU are showing interest in the Vietnamese market.
Hue thanked INTA, the European Parliament, and Lange for their considerable contributions to the EVFTA negotiations, ratification, and implementation.
Meanwhile, the INTA Chairman noted the EVFTA provides a solid foundation for new strides in Vietnam - EU relations, and that statistics recorded in the two years since the agreement’s implementation show its positive economic effects, especially boosting post-pandemic growth.
Regarding the EVIPA, he said the ratification of this deal has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. EU member states are now readier to promote the ratification, especially in the current context when they want stability and trustworthy partners.
Chairman Hue affirmed that Vietnam wishes to intensify cooperation with the EU and each of the bloc’s members.
He called on the EU to support Vietnam’s candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for 2023 - 2025, continue enhancing ties with ASEAN, step up partnerships in energy and climate change to help the country realize its commitments made at COP26, and cooperate with Vietnam in digital transformation.
He also recommended the two sides continue frequent information exchanges to deal with problems arising in bilateral trade, especially the export of Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery products to the EU.
Talking about Vietnam’s efforts to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the NA Chairman expressed his hope that the EU will continue sending delegations to directly assess the country’s implementation of relevant recommendations and soon remove the “yellow card” warning issued by the European Commission.
