At a reception for Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government welcomes and facilitates European companies, including small and medium-size enterprises, to do long-term business in Vietnam.
Thanking the European Commission for granting the Generalised System of Preferences status in the 2014-2016 period to Vietnam, the Prime Minister asked the commission for an early approval of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement by 2014.
These agreements are legal frameworks, which will help businesses penetrate into each other’s markets in order to further expand economic, trade, investment and tourism ties.
The Vietnamese leader also asked the European Union to early recognise Vietnam’s full market economy status and continue maintaining official development assistance for Vietnam.
Antonio Tajani said that all 40 European businesses and media agencies accompanying during his visit to Vietnam want to expand cooperation in trade, investment and tourism with Vietnam.
He affirmed that the EU desires to promote cooperation with Vietnam, especially its small and medium-sized enterprises operating in agricultural product processing, tourism, chemicals and cosmetics, adding that a business delegation plans to visit Vietnam next year to seek cooperation opportunities in these fields.
The EU is willing to promote cooperation with Vietnam in space, particularly in disaster forecast and warning, he added.-VNA
