Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan compared notes on a range of issues regarding the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and bilateral cooperation and trade amid the COVID-19 pandemic during their recent phone talks.

 Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh

Concerning the EVFTA, the EU official said the European Council on March 30 adopted the EVFTA while the EU officially completed its internal procedures for the trade pact to come into force.

The dossiers for the ratification of the trade deal have been submitted by the government to the state President to consider submitting it to the National Assembly for discussion and ratification right in its session slated for May. It is hoped that the EVFTA will officially enter into force in July, minister Tuan Anh said.

The Vietnamese government has drawn out a plan on the implementation of the deal. After the agreement is approved by the National Assembly, the draft plan will be revised for the Prime Minister  to officially sign it for circulation.

During the talks, both sides also discussed bilateral trade and cooperation within the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

They concurred to redouble efforts to enhance trade links in the context of the increasingly complicated developments of the epidemic

With regard to cooperation within the framework of the WTO, the two sides consented to step up closer coordination to give ideas on the reforms of the WTO, with a major focus on increasing mechanism efficiency regarding dispute settlement which is the centre of attention of all WTO members.