Denmark and Sweden have signed an agreement on jointly conducting a judicial reform support programme in Vietnam with a combined budget of 18.7 million EUR, said sources from the Denmark Embassy in Hanoi.

According to the delegated cooperation agreement, Denmark will act on behalf of Sweden to work with the Vietnamese government and other partners in implementing the largest programme of its kind in Vietnam to date.

The programme, which will start in 2010 and cover a five-year period, will focus on building capacity to implement judicial reforms with a new approach of supporting both state institutions and non-state actors, by including a mechanism for policy dialogue with key decision makers.

The programme will be jointly supported by Denmark , Sweden and the European Commission, with the Danish contribution accounting for 78.7 million DKK (or 10.57 million EUR)./.