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PM greets Vice-President of European Parliament

VGP – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stated that Viet Nam always considers cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the European Parliament (EP) an important pillar of Viet Nam-European Union (EU) all-around cooperative relations.

January 07, 2019 4:55 PM GMT+7

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives  Vice-President of the EP Heidi Hautala, Ha Noi, January 7, 2019. Photo: VGP

Addressing a reception for Vice-President of the EP Heidi Hautala in Ha Noi on January 7, the Government leader hailed the EU as one of Viet Nam’s leading partners, while highlighting the finely growing ties between the two sides. 

Bilateral economic cooperation has recorded positive results, with the EU being Viet Nam’s fourth largest trading partner and second largest export market, and also a big investor in the Southeast Asian country, he said.

PM Phuc proposed some ideas concerning the free trade agreement (FTA) and the agreement on timber trade between Viet Nam and the EU, as well as touching on the issue of combating illegal fishing.

Heidi Hautala said during her visit, she would meet with the Vietnamese agencies concerned and conduct a field survey on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT), of which she is a rapporteur. The agreement was signed in October 2018 on the occasion of PM Phuc’s visit to the EU and participation in the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.

Photo: VGP

The EP will consider the approval of the VPA, Hautalasaid, sharing the Vietnamese side’s huge interest in the EU-Viet Nam FTA (EVFTA) which is a new-generation deal.

PM Phuc called for the support from the EP and Hautala in promoting the official signing of the EVFTA, affirming that the implementation of the agreement would create a new motivation facilitating cooperation between the EU and Viet Nam, particularly in terms of economic aspects.

According to the EP Vice-President, the enforcement of the VPA/FLEGT will create a spillover effect in the region, as Viet Nam’s neighboring nations and the countries from which Viet Nam imports timber products will definitely look at the legal perspective of the timber trade issue. 

With regards to the EVFTA, Hautala stated that the two sides will take necessary steps to ensure the ratificatioin of the deal.

By Vien Nhu