Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister, Special envoy of the Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son met with European Parliament (EP) President David Sassoli on February 11 as part of his ongoing working visit to Belgium and France.

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister, Special envoy of the Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son
meets with European Parliament (EP) President David Sassoli on February 11, 2020. 

Son affirmed that leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State always treasure and want to further promote the comprehensive cooperative partnership with the European Union.

He spoke highly off the fruitful development of the Viet Nam-EU relations in different fields in the recent past, especially after the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the two sides took effect.

He expressed his hope that the EP’s leaders and parliamentarians will continue to support and further promote the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the EU in the time to come.

Son also appreciated Sassoli’s support as well as close cooperation of the EP’s agencies in the process of approving the trade and investment deals.

The Vietnamese National Assembly will soon ratify the two agreements, Son said, affirming that Viet Nam’s relevant agencies have been stepping up the preparations for the effective implementation of commitments, especially those on sustainable development, labor, and environment.

He proposed the EP and the EU’s agencies to continue working closely with Vietnam in implementing the agreements in the coming time.

Sassoli expressed his impression for Viet Nam’s socio-economic development and international integration achievements, and congratulated Viet Nam on undertaking its roles as the ASEAN Chair 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure.

He voiced support for enhanced EU-Viet Nam comprehensive cooperation, emphasizing that the EU considers Viet Nam as an important partner in Asia Pacific and wants Viet Nam to continue its active contributions to strengthening cooperative ties between the EU and other ASEAN member nations.

The EP President highly valued the close and effective coordination between the Vietnamese National Assembly, Government and agencies, and the EP and the EU’s agencies in preparing for the approval of the EVFTA and EVIPA.

He urged the two sides to continue their close coordination to ensure the effective implementation of the agreements, thus bringing practical benefits to enterprises and people of both sides.

During his visit from February 4-12, Son also had important working sessions with EP Vice President Pedro Silva Pereira, President of the EP’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) Bernd Lange, EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan; leaders of key parties in the EU; and heads of the parliamentarian delegations of the EU member nations, to discuss issues of common concerns in preparation for the approval of the two agreements.

Leaders of the EP and INTA, and key parliamentarians from the parties in the EP said they support the approval of the two pacts, and promised to lobby EP parliamentarians to vote for them.

The EP is scheduled to vote for the approval of the EVFTA and EVIPA on February 12. The two agreements were signed in Ha Noi last June.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment estimated that the two deals are expected to help increase Viet Nam gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.6% and its exports to the EU by 42.7% by 2025.

Meanwhile, the European Commission estimated that the EU's GDP will increase by US$29.5 billion, while its exports to Viet Nam will grow 29% by 2035./.