Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered a temporary halt to the establishment of new economic zones (EZ), industrial parks (IP) and export processing zones (EPZ) nationwide.

The move is part of the Government’s efforts to improve management and efficiency of the existing ones.

In his instruction, Prime Minister Dung asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to work closely with relevant ministries and agencies to review the planning, establishment and operation of EZs, IPs and EPZs, then put forward measures to deal with those working inefficiently and causing land waste and environmental pollution.

These ministries and agencies will also have to screen and make adjustments to the economic and industrial zone development plans until 2020 and submit it to the PM in the fourth quarter of this year.

Additionally, Prime Minister Dung instructed the People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces to allocate land for building houses, service and public facilities in service of labourers working for economic and industrial zones.-VNA