EU to promote early completion of EVIPA ratification from member states
VOV.VN - The European Union will promote the early completion of ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) from its member states, said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Receiving Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Brussels recently, Borrel who is also Vice President of the European Commission, said the enforcement of the agreement would facilitate the attraction of European investment capital flows that are shifting to Vietnam.
The EVIPA was ratified by the European Parliament on February 12, 2020 alongside the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The EVFTA came into force in August 2020, but the EVIPA is yet to take effect as it needs ratification of the parliaments of all 27 EU member states.
So far the EVIPA has been ratified by the parliaments of 17 EU member states. The agreement, when it comes into force, will replace 21 existing bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements between Vietnam and EU member states.
At the meeting, Borrell acknowledged Vietnam’s positive efforts in combating the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in recent times, and hoped that the fifth working round with the inspection delegation from the European Commission (EC) would achieve good results.
The EC Vice President also announced his tentative plan to visit Vietnam this summer.
Minister Son for his part affirmed that Vietnam desires to promote the comprehensive partnership with the EU.
He proposed that the two sides increase the exchange of high-level delegations; fully and effectively deploy available cooperation mechanisms; and expand cooperation in potential fields such as climate change response and energy transition, especially through the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the Global Gateway Initiative of the EU.
He also expected that the remaining 10 EU member states would ratify the EVIPA, and the EC would soon remove the IUU yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exported to the bloc.
Vietnam wishes to coordinate closely with the EU on multilateral forums and is ready to act as a bridge to help the EU connect with ASEAN, said Son.
On February 2, Minister Son had a meeting with EU High Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. He affirmed that the EU and its members are the top priority partners in Vietnam’s foreign policy.
He thanked the EU for providing development assistance to Vietnam over the years, and expressed his hope that the EU would continue to support Vietnam in infrastructure development, sustainable agricultural development and adaptation to climate change, and energy transition.
Urpilainen for her part stressed that Vietnam is the only partner that has established five major cooperation frameworks with the EU in the fields of politics, defense, trade, investment and energy. She expressed her hope that the two sides would continue to effectively implement the signed agreements, contributing to deepening the comprehensive partnership.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern. They vowed to continue contributing to maintaining peace, stability, ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region and the world, and promoting respect for the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.
