Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (centre) has a working session with a delegation of the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) in Hanoi on February 14. (Photo: VNA) Managing Director & Regional Head Asia/Pacific at LandesbankBaden-Wuerttemberg, Jens Ruebbert, and EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany, co-heads of the delegation, affirmed that European businesses are interested in the Vietnamesemarket and consider Vietnam a leading country and a pioneer in Asia-Pacific,especially Southeast Asia.
Vietnam holds great potential for development, with agrowth rate of over 8% last year, they said, calling the country a destination ofinvestment and trade for nations worldwide.
Cany expressed his hope to assist Vietnam in realisingits net zero emission target by 2050 in terms of policy and law making, technology transfer and access to capital.
Regarding green transition and the net zero emissiontarget, representatives from the EU firms said they want to study Vietnam’sstrategy and legal framework, and implement offshore wind power and renewableenergy projects in the country.
They were also interested in Vietnam’s incentives towardsaccess to new medicines and modern medical services.
After studying Vietnam’s support plan for digital transformation,and relevant investment activities, the businesses hoped to invest humanresources in the field. They also affirmed their support for ASEAN’s economicintegration.
The NA Chairman affirmed that Vietnam attaches greatimportance to and wishes to promote relations with the EU- a leading importantpartner in Vietnam's foreign policy.
The commemorative summit celebrating the 45th foundinganniversary of ASEAN-EU relations was successfully organised in Brussels,Belgium, last December 2022, he said.
Hue said that he hoped the ASEAN-EU Business Councilwould continue creating a reliable bridge and actively supporting EU businessesand investors to invest in ASEAN in general and the Vietnamese market inparticular.
He affirmed that the National Assembly of Vietnam, inall its decisions including those in the legislation, supreme supervision, andnational issues, are all for the sake of rapid and sustainable development,promoting the increasingly proactive and effective integration of Vietnam intothe region and the world.
The NA always puts people and businesses, bothdomestic and foreign enterprises, at the centre of every decision, he said.
Emphasising that foreign investors’ successes areVietnam's successes, Hue said that Vietnam has shifted its focus fromattracting FDI to a strategy of cooperation and partnership in foreigninvestment.
“Vietnam will continue to implement a consistent policyto improve and enhance the quality of the business and investment environment,and is determined to improve its competitiveness, productivity, and efficiencyof its economy,” Hue said.
Appreciating the strong development in trade relationsbetween Vietnam and the EU over the past time, despite the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic, and uncertainties of the world's complicated situation, Huesaid that maintaining supply chains, strengthening cooperation with existingmarkets and expanding new markets are the right choices of countries.
The NA Chairman also shared with EU investors aboutVietnam's socio-economic development achievements in 2022, with importantcontributions of the National Assembly.
According to the top legislator, the NA's Resolution No.30/2021/QH15 grants the NA Standing Committee, the Government, the PrimeMinister, and the provincial People's Council specific powers to perform thedual task of controlling the pandemic, and boosting socio-economic recovery anddevelopment.
The NA's Resolution No. 43/2022/QH15 on fiscal andmonetary policies permitted the allocation of funding of up to 350 trillion VNDto support the implementation of the socio-economic recovery and developmentprogramme.
"Thanks to all-round efforts, Vietnam's economyhas not lost its growth momentum. It is expected to achieve the targets set outfor this term and the development goals until 2030 with a vision to 2045 set bythe Communist Party of Vietnam at the 13th National Congress," the NAChairman said.
For digital transformation and digital economy, Hue stressedthat the digital economy is expected to make up about 20% of the country's GDP by 2025and 30% by 2030, saying the digital economy now has a scale of more than 50 billionUSD and a growth rate of between 16-18%.
The leader used this occasion to call on Europeaninvestors to actively engage in the process, contributing to building a digitalecosystem for digital transformation in Vietnam.
Regarding just energy transition, Hue said Vietnam hopes to cooperatewith EU firms in mobilising green finance and ensuring interest-cost balance duringthe transition process.
He suggested EU-ABC and EuroCham encourage remainingcountries in the EU to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement(EVIPA) and remove the “yellow card” imposed on Vietnam’s seafood, thusbenefiting businesses, farmers and consumers of the two sides./.
VNA
