Vietnam fosters parliamentary cooperation with European Union

Man was speaking during a working session with Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) in Brussels on November 15 upon his arrival for an official visit to Belgium.

He said the two sides have maintained substantive and effective inter-parliamentary dialogues through the exchange of high-level delegations. In addition, they have worked out cooperation mechanisms to implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), helping to promote priorities and resolve pending issues in Vietnam - EU relations.

Vietnam considers the EU one of its most important trade, investment and development aid partners, he affirmed.

He underscored the importance of fully implementing the EVFTA to ramp up trade exchanges between the two sides, saying two-way trade turnover last year reaching US$62.4 billion, an increase of 14% year on year.

Vietnam will seriously and fully implement EVFTA commitments, continue to improve legislation on labour, and meet other international commitments, Man assured his host.

He suggested that the European Parliament support the strengthening of comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the EU and member countries in all fields, including inter-parliamentary cooperation. He also asked the EP to encourage the parliaments of the remaining 10 EU countries to quickly ratify the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) so that the agreement would soon take effect to bring benefits to both sides, as well as to all EU member countries.

Man also requested that the EP encourage the European Commission to soon remove the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing warnings against Vietnamese seafood to ensure fishermen’s livelihood and a sufficient supply of seafood to the EU.

He expressed hope that the EU and its member countries would continue to have a strong voice, supporting the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on the peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, he invited the INTA leader to visit Vietnam again at an appropriate time.

INTA chairman Bernd Lange for his part hailed Vietnam’s green transition efforts toward sustainable development, saying green transition is a major global concern nowadays and there is much room for Vietnam to develop in the European market.

Talking about the implementation of the EVFTA, Lange said the two sides should continue to promote exchanges and increase information on cooperation and openness in the pharmaceutical sector. He expected that the two sides would continue to discuss and coordinate closely to resolve outstanding issues, including those in the field of agriculture.

Acknowledging Vietnam’s important role in ASEAN’s security landscape, the INTA leader voiced his support for freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea in line with international law.

He said he was looking forward to returning to Vietnam on a visit in January 2024.